Box Score TYLER, Texas – Jones College had a strong run in the NJCAA Division I Men's Tennis Tournament this past week.
The Bobcats finished 13th in the nation with 16.5 points, the best finish of any MACCC school in the tournament, which was held May 16-20 on the campus of Tyler Junior College.
Jackson Peoples (Northwest Rankin) made it all the way to the finals of the No. 6 singles consolation round where he dropped a close, 7-9 decision to No. 7 seed Duncan Mulenga of Mesa Community College (Arizona).
Peoples lost his opening round match to No. 8 seed Giannia Lopez of Collin College (Texas), 1-6, 1-6. He came back to beat Phuong Pham of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (Georgia), 8-4, in the first round of the backdraw. He then beat Hinds' Jacob Runnells, 8-2, in the quarterfinals and Coastal Alabama-South's Patrick Waggoner, 8-1, in the semifinals.
Trey Hilton (Pearl) had a good showing in No. 6 singles. He beat Victor Belic of Lewis and Clark College (Illinois) 6-1, 6-1 in the first round and followed that up with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Daniel Shelton of Jacksonville College (Texas). He then lost 0-6, 2-6 to No. 3 seed Mikaeel Woodman of Tyler.
In No. 1 singles,
Tomi Nader (Argentina) defeated Edan Benitez of Jacksonville College (Texas), 6-0, 6-1 in the first round and then lost to Meridian's Anton Sarunic, 5-7, 2-6.
In No. 2 singles,
Wallace Brewer (Germantown) defeated Federico Roman of South Carolina-Sumter, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the opening round and then lost to No. 8 seed Luis Ching of Collin College, 6-3, 3-6, 3-6.
In No. 3 singles, Nacho Vaneck (Argentina) defeated Raul Davalos of New Mexico Military Institute, 6-3, 6-2 and then lost to Alvaro Saint Martin of Tyler, 0-6, 2-6.
In No. 4 singles,
Tanner Bevard (Sacred Heart) defeated Zach Wallace of Sauk Valley (Illinois), 6-1, 6-2 and then lost to No. 8 seed Saranpahon Siriwanichkul of Abraham Baldwin, 3-6, 6-7 (0).
In No. 1 doubles, Nader and Brewer beat David Arrieta and Dante Despontin of Pratt College (Kansas), 6-1, 6-3 in round one. They then forfeited to Iowa Central's Andrew Kunaka and Nafiralo Ouattara by retirement/injury.
In No. 2 doubles,
John Jabour (Warren Central) and Vanecek defeated Harry Browning and Arturo Socias Salvo of Mesa, 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-1 and then lost to No. 8 seed Liam Barry and Ruben Emmerson-Hiini of South Carolina-Sumter, 2-6, 6-7 (6).
In No. 3 doubles, Bevard and Peoples lost 0-6, 1-6 to Gianni Lopez and Edward Shteyn of Collin College. They then forfeited to Eastern Florida State College's Jaewoo Choi and Ehric Porcar, the No. 4 seeds, by retirement/injury.
Jones posted 14 points on the first day of the tournament and was in a three-way tie for second place.
Seward College (Kansas) won the tournament with 42 points, edging Cowley College (Kansas) with 41 points. Tyler finished third with 39 points.
Among MACCC schools, Mississippi Gulf Coast finished 14th with 15 points, Meridian was 15th with 14.5 points and East Central was 20th with 8.5 points.
