Powering through a tough draw this past week in Tucson, Arizona, the Barton Community College men's tennis team concluded their season 13th at the NJCAA Division I National Tennis Championships.
The Cougars went 5-1 on the opening day of competition, ending the tournament 12-11 compiling 17.5 points to finish just .5 points out of a top ten standing.
Barton's good start to the championships hit a wall on day two as unfavorable pre-tournament seeding put all six singles players against seeded opponents resulting in knock-out match losses for four of the six.
Barton had two entries surviving the back draw to reach the consolation championship, with No. 6 singles player Tom Letecheur winning the championship with 6-4, 3-6, 10-5 victory over Anthony Schloegel of Mississippi Gulf Coast. After receiving a first round bye, Letecheur was also a victim of the pre-seeding in having to face the third seed in what would be his first match of the tournament. Taking a 6-2, 6-1 loss to the eventual bracket runner-up Alex Mesquida Berg of Region VI foe Seward County, Letecheur landed on his feet in the back draw marching to the finals with a pair of straight set wins.
After a first round straight set win, Mariano Cabrera fought through the uphill tournament draw of the No. 4 bracket to pull an upset on the second day, taking down 5th seeded Fabricio Galyan of Eastern Florida 6-3, 1-6, 6-1. Advancing to the quarterfinal round, Cabrera nearly pulled another upset against Region VI member Valter Oshiro of Cowley but the 4th seed prevailed in a tough 6-4 straight set win.
Joining Letecheur on the final day of the tournament, the No. 1 tandem of Guido Luna and Sebastian Pino rebounded from a disappointing straight set opening loss to survive the back draw before dropping a tough 7-6, 6-3 match to the bracket's No. 1 seeded Frederic Fibleuil and Lukas Zavrel of ABAC after the duo had been upset in day one's action.
Barton's lone seeded entry was in the No. 2 Doubles slot as Oswaldo Cano and Mariano Cabrera earned the fifth seed. Receiving a first round bye, the duo rolled their first match by twin 6-2 scores but had their tournament come to an end in the quarterfinals taking a 6-4, 6-2 loss to 4th seeded Nils Michel and Nicholas Mora of Eastern Florida.
No. 1 Singles: Guido Luna
Opening round: def. Carlos Trujillo (Hinds) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
Winner's Bracket Round of 16: lost to #1 Marcus Walters (Tyler) 6-1, 6-3
No. 2 Singles: Oswaldo Cano
Opening round: def. Isaac Santitto (East Central) 6-0, 6-2
Winner's Bracket Round of 16: lost to #2 Nils Michel (Eastern Florida) 6-1, 6-3
No. 3 Singles: Sebastian Pino
Opening round: def. Seth Yaeger (Moraine Valley) 6-1, 6-2
Winner's Bracket Round of 16: lost to #1 Alex Parker (Tyler) 7-5, 6-1
No. 4 Singles: Mariano Cabrera
Opening round: def. Isaac Keen (East Central) 6-1, 6-4
Winner's Bracket Round of 16: def. Fabricio Galvan (Eastern Florida) 6-3, 1-6, 6-1
Winner's Bracket Quarterfinals: lost to #4 Valter Oshiro (Cowley) 6-4, 6-4
No. 5 Singles: Octavio Carrasco
Opening round: def. Christopher Adams (Hinds) 6-0, 6-4
Winner's Bracket Round of 16: lost to #2 Matthew Beecher (Tyler) 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 Singles: Tom Letecheur
Opening round: bye
Winner's Bracket Round of 16: lost to #3 Alex Mesquida Berg (Seward County) 6-2, 6-1
Consolation 2nd Rd: bye
Consolation Quarterfinals: def. Gustavo Nomura (Iowa Central) 6-2, 7-5
Consolation Semifinals: def. Adria Aguilar (Hartford) 6-3, 6-3
Consolation Championship: def. Anthony Schloegel (Mississippi Gulf Coast) 6-4, 3-6, 10-5
No. 1 Doubles: Guido Luna/Sebastian Pino
Opening round: lost to Manuel Pilotto/Mauricio Grijalva (Laredo) 6-2, 6-2
Consolation 1st Rd: bye
Consolation 2nd Rd: bye
Consolation Quarterfinals: def. Blake Gregory/Franco Roldan (Itawamba) 6-7(4), 6-3, 14-12
Consolation Semifinals: received walk-over win over Cliff Dwyer/Colten Way (Iowa Central)
Consolation Championship: lost to #1 Frederic Fibleuil/Lukas Zavrel (ABAC) 7-5, 6-3
No. 2 Doubles: #5 Oswaldo Cano/Mariano Cabrera
Opening round: bye
Winner's Bracket Round of 16: def. Ulises Barradas/Renan Kormann (Prairie State) 6-2, 6-2
Winner's Bracket Quarterfinals: lost to #4 Nils Michel/Nicholas Mora (Eastern Florida) 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 Doubles: Octavio Carrasco/Tom Letecheur
Opening Round: bye
Winner's Bracket Rough of 16: lost to #6 Adrian Martinez/Rodrigo Mere (Laredo) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
Consolation 2nd Rd: bye
Consolation Quarterfinals: lost to Sebastian Bunster/Fabricio Galvan (Eastern Florida) 6-3, 6-2
Complete NJCAA Division I National Tennis Championship information and results