Julee Burgess Executive Senior Associate AD for Sport Administration | Michigan State Spartan Athletics Website
Julee Burgess Executive Senior Associate AD for Sport Administration | Michigan State Spartan Athletics Website
Michigan State Men's Tennis team achieved a significant milestone by securing their first NCAA Tournament victory. On May 3, the Spartans, ranked No. 22 nationally, defeated the previously undefeated Denver team with a decisive 4-0 win in Boston. This victory advances them to the Boston Regional final where they will face Harvard.
The Spartans' triumph was bolstered by the performances of graduate transfers Ronald Hohmann III and Sebastien Collard, both of whom have previous NCAA Tournament experience. "It's pretty remarkable," said head coach Harry Jadun. "You talk about 110 years of history and you just did something for the first time—maybe a week from now I'll understand the gravity of it."
Jadun, who played for Michigan State as a sophomore in 2013, has led the team to several program-first achievements this season, including a record-breaking 22 wins.
In doubles play, freshman Aristotelis Thanos and sophomore Ozan Baris dominated with a 6-0 win on the main court. The pair improved their record to 5-0 together. In singles matches, Collard quickly secured his win at fourth slot with scores of 6-2 and 6-1. Sophomore David Saye followed suit with straight-set victories of 6-4 and 6-2.
Hohmann clinched the overall match for MSU by overcoming an initial setback in his singles match to secure a final set victory of 7-5.
Looking ahead, Michigan State will compete against Harvard in their next match-up. Harvard enters this contest after winning against Boston University and holding a share of the Ivy League regular season title.
Additionally, three Spartans have been selected to participate in the upcoming NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Baris and Max Sheldon will return for their second consecutive year in doubles competition while Hohmann will make his third appearance in singles championships.
Four Spartan athletes received Big Ten postseason honors recently. Notably, Ozan Baris was named Big Ten Player of the Year while Aristotelis Thanos earned Freshman of the Year honors.
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