The Cyclones played some of their best tennis all season at the NJCAA Division I Tournament in Plano, Texas, May 12-16, even earning some points in the intensified competition.
Facing athletes from around the country and internationally, the Cyclones finished in 23rd place out of 27 teams. At third singles, sophomore Tim Stewart (Stagg) earned some points with a big 6-2, 6-2 victory in the first round over New Mexico Military Institute. He played at a high level for the win, losing in a tight second round to finish in the top 16 in the nation. “This was the best I’ve seen him play all season,” said head coach Ben Thompson.
At first singles, Kevin Karczynski (Andrew) played well but lost in the first match. He earned a victory in the consolation round and advanced to the semi-finals, but was unable to compete because the team had to fly home. Sophomore Brad Smith (Sandburg) muscled through a tough match at third singles with an injury, and Mike Broderick (Providence), Ryan Adamski (Tinley Park) and Christian Lagunas (Eisenhower) also played well at second, fifth and sixth singles, respectively.
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The dynamic duo, Karczynski and Broderick (first doubles), won their first set, 6-3, against Temple College, but had some setbacks in their remaining two sets. Despite an attempted comeback, they were knocked out of the main draw. At second doubles, Smith and Stewart battled through three sets with College of DuPage. Stewart had to use his non-dominant left hand because of his injury and gutted out most of the sets with heart, Thompson said. Bryan Jimenez (Shepard) and Alec Mikes (Tinley Park) lost in a tough tiebreaker at third doubles to Harford Community College.
“Everyone stepped up at nationals and played well. I’m looking forward to all the freshmen who come back next year because of this experience,” Thompson said.
