After winning the NCAA Division II Intercollegiate Tennis Association West Regionals doubles finals on Oct. 2, UCSD senior Bryan Swatt and junior Brent Molden placed seventh overall at the ITA Small College Championships in Fort Myers, Fla., on Oct. 16. The tournament, presented by the United States Tennis Association, draws the best men’s and women’s singles and doubles teams in NCAA Division II, Division III, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and community colleges from all regions. It featured the best teams from each of the eight regions in the nation.
Dante Cipulli of Division II Southwest Baptist was crowned the men’s singles champion in two sets, 6-1, 6-3, over Steven Lockwood of Fresno City Junior College. Meanwhile, Larikah Russell of NAIA Southern Nazarene took the women’s singles title against Lindsay Hagerman of Division III Washington and Lee University, 6-3, 6-2. In doubles, Ivan Angulo Carrasco and Ricardo Omana from NAIA College of Santa Fe took the doubles title over Division II Armstrong Atlantic State’s Robert Jendelund and Dale White 7-6 (8), 6-4, while Liz Bondi and Elizabeth Steel of Division III DePauw edged Southern Nazarene’s Russell and Daria Ivanova in women’s doubles, 7-6, 4-6, 11-9.
In the first round, Swatt and Molden lost a tough match in three sets to Kshitij Dwivedi and Paul Ratchford of Division III Presbyterian College, 7-6, 6-7, 10-6. Their loss placed UCSD in the consolation bracket, which determined fifth through eighth place. Swatt and Molden faced off against St. Edward’s Mario Quintero and Kendall Smashey; however, despite being broken only twice, the Tritons duo was defeated, 6-4, 6-4.
However, Swatt and Molden improved their play and secured seventh place with a straight-sets victory over Brian Bogus and Kyle Dougherty of Division II Bloomsburg University, 6-4, 6-3.
“I was pleased with their overall effort, there is no doubt about that,” UCSD head coach Eric Steidlmayer said. “I think we were all disappointed that we were not able to play better at the tournament and have more of a national impact.”
Although Swatt and Molden lost a close one in the first round, they realized there was not much separating the top teams in the nation from UCSD.
“I think there was one team in Division II a bit better than the rest, and all the other teams were about the same level of play,” Steidlmayer said.
The Regionals and the Small College Championships are Swatt and Molden’s doubles debut at UCSD. Despite going 1-3, Steidlmayer knows the pair plays well together and is confident the two of them will bounce back and play solidly in the upcoming season.
