The 7th ranked Barton Community College men's tennis team capped the 2023 season this week with an 8th place finish at the NJCAA Division I Championships held at the Courts of McKinney in McKinney, Texas.
The Cougars concluded the week-long tournament with a 14-10 record, winning four of the six first round matches on the singles side and finished 4-3 in doubles play. Barton finished in the top-8 for the third straight season racking up a total of 21 points for the 8th place finish, falling just three back of Wallace State while holding a one-point margin to ninth place Harford.
Barton concludes the season with an 8-4 dual record while finishing runner-up amongst the stout KJCCC and Region VI squads of Cowley, Pratt, and Seward County.
Advancing the furthest in the event, was 7th seeded No. 5 singles entrant, Tsholofelo Tsiang rattling off four straight victories to finish as the Consolation Champion after getting bounced in the opening round 7-6(7), 6-1 to Wallace State's Ryan Cresents. Tsiang won the first backside draw match 8-3 with two straight 8-1 results and then registering an 8-3 win to claim the backside title over Brock Dawson of Jacksonville College.
Seventh seeded No. 2 singles Sebastiao Vilas was the first of three Cougars to break through into the Quarterfinals. Vilas opened his national tournament run making quick work of Sebastian Soto of New Mexico Military Institute with straight set victories 6-0, 6-0. Meeting familiar conference foe Gabriel Cuenca of Pratt for the third time this year in the second round, Vilas would fall behind for the third straight time dropping the opening set 4-6 before recovering with a 6-0 blanking and clinching the decisive third set 6-3 to defeat Cuenca for the third straight time this year. Vilas then battled 2nd seeded Juan Carlos Garcia of Tyler Junior College in the Quarterfinals, dropping both sets 6-3, 6-0.
In flight No. 3 singles, 7th seeded Fernando Andre advanced to the second round with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Lewis & Clark Community College's James Makaranga. Andre locked his spot in the Quarterfinals with another two-set victory over Mesa's James Makaranga 6-4, 6-0 before having his season end to 2nd seed and national runner-up Tim Riedel of Tyler 6-3, 6-3.
Receiving a bye in the No. 4 flight, 4th seeded Barnabas Kalaba won his first match 7-5 and 6-0 over Mario Molina of USC Sumer. Kalaba won the first set 6-3 over Wallace State's Alex Jaulin before the sophomore saw his Cougar career end dropping the next two sets 7-5, 6-1.
Gustavo Campos was seeded 4th in the No. 1 flight but the nation's 15th ranked player was stunned in two sets 7-6(3), 6-3 to Jacksonville College's Logan Stoltz. Campos answered back on the consolation side, outscoring his next two opponents 16-7 before bowing out in the consolation semifinals 8-6 to 8th seeded Paul Gayk of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
Like Campos, Marno Du Plessis was sent to the backside In No.6 singles, dropping tightly contested 7-6(8) and 7-6(10) results to Massimo Callendo of Wallace State. Receiving back-to-back byes in the backside of the bracket, Du Plessis would dispatch Zander Meeks of East Central Community College 8-0 to reach the Consolation Semifinals. In the consolation semifinals, the sophomore would fall on the short end 8-6 to Mesa's Hung Pham.
Doubles action saw a pair of the Cougars make the quarterfinals. No.2 doubles tandem of Kalaba and Tsiang opened their tournament run with quick 6-1, 6-1 victories. The pair would advance into the Quarterfinals with 6-3, 6-1 outcome over Jacksonville College's Andres Ayala and Franco Vedda. Meeting 2nd seed conference foe Cowley, the duo would bow out to the eventual national runner-up's 6-4, 7-6(1).
Seeded 8th in No. 3 doubles draw, Campos and Du Plessis won their first match after an opening round bye 6-1, 6-2 before dropping a 6-1 and 6-0 loss to top seeded and eventual National Champions from Cowley.
Unseeded in the No. 1 doubles flight, Andre and Vilas began their journey with a dominating 6-2, 6-0 performance but in the second round fell 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to 4th seeded Hugo Car and Lucas Gonzalez of Eastern Florida State College.
Complete NJCAA Division I National Tennis Championship information
Barton Results:
Singles
No. 1 Singles: #15 Gustavo Campos (4th seeded)
1st Round – Bye
2nd Round – Lost to Logan Stoltz (Jacksonville College) – 6-2, 6-4
Consolation Round 2 – Defeated #33 Dante Despontin (Pratt CC) – 8-5
Consolation Quarterfinals – Defeated Billy Friedman (College of Lake County) – 8-2
Consolation Semifinals – Lost to 8th seeded #20 Paul Gayk (Mississippi Gulf Coast CC) – 8-6
No. 2 Singles: #41 Sebastiao Vilas (7th seeded)
1st Round – Defeated Sebastian Soto (New Mexico Military Institute) – 6-0, 6-0
2nd Round – Defeated #46 Gabriel Cuenca (Pratt CC) – 4-6, 6-0, 6-3
Quarterfinals – Lost to 2nd seeded #5 Juan Carlos Garcia (Tyler JC) – 6-3, 6-0
No. 3 Singles: #48 Fernando Andre (7th seeded)
1st Round – Defeated James Makaranga (Lewis & Clarke CC) – 6-1, 6-1
2nd Round – Defeated Asad Okoye (Mesa CC) – 6-4, 6-0
Quarterfinals – Lost to 2nd seeded #8 Tim Riedel (Tyler JC) – 6-2, 6-2
No. 4 Singles: Barnabas Kalaba (4th seeded)
1st Round – Bye
2nd Round – Defeated Mario Molina (USC Sumter) – 7-5, 6-0
Quarterfinals – Lost to 5th seeded #36 Alex Jaulin (Wallace State) – 3-6, 7-5, 6-1
No. 5 Singles: Tsholofelo Tsiang (7th seeded)
1st Round – Bye
2nd Round – Lost to Iyan Cresens (Wallace State) – 6-4, 6-1
Consolation Round 2 – Defeated Lucas Baruffi (Mesa CC) – 8-3
Consolation Quarterfinals – Defeated John David Nelson (Northwest Mississippi CC) – 8-1
Consolation Semifinals – Defeated Liam Berry (USC Sumter) – 8-0
Consolation Finals – Defeated Brock Dawson (Jacksonville College) – 8-0
No. 6 Singles: Marno Du Plessis
1st Round – Lost to Massimo Caliendo (Wallace State) – 7-6(8), 7-6(10)
Consolation Round 1 – Bye
Consolation Round 2 – Bye
Consolation Semifinals – Defeated Zander Meeks (East Central CC) – 8-0
Consolation Quarterfinals – Lost to Hung Pham (Mesa CC) – 8-6
Doubles
No. 1 Doubles: #19 Fernando Andre / Sebastiao Vilas
1st Round – Defeated Cam'Ron Crenshaw / Torean King (Coastal Alabama CC) – 6-2, 6-0
2nd Round – Lost to 4th seeded #5 Hugo Car / Lucas Gonzalez (Eastern Florida State College) – 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
No. 2 Doubles: Barnabas Kalaba / Tsholofelo Tsiang (7th seeded)
1st Round – Defeated Carlos Alcala / Gabriel Meirelles (Prairie State College) – 6-1, 6-1
2nd Round – Defeated #25 Andres Ayala / Franco Vedda (Jacksonville College) – 6-3, 6-1
Quarterfinals – Lost to 2nd seeded #21 Hanamichi Carvajal / Taiyo Hirano (Cowley College) – 6-4, 7-6(1)
No. 3 Doubles: Gustavo Campos / Marno Du Plessis (8th seeded)
1st Round – Bye
2nd Round – Defeated Justin Sowinski / Soren Younger (Paradise Valley CC) – 6-1, 6-2
Quarterfinals – Lost to 1st seeded #22 Reiya Kornagata / Boruch Skierkier (Cowley College) – 6-1, 6-1