Hillsdale men’s tennis brought home multiple wins in last weekend’s Charger Invitational against the Wayne State Warriors, Findlay Oilers, Tiffin Dragons, Purdue University Northwest Pride, and Lawrence Tech Blue Devils.
“Everything went well, and we competed hard and had some good wins,” head coach Keith Turner said. “Brennan Cimpeanu winning his three rounds of matches in the A draw was the highlight of the tournament.”
Junior Brennan Cimpeanu was recognized by the G-MAC for the sixth time as Men’s Tennis Player of the Week after he won the A Draw Singles competition. He also competed alongside junior Sean Barstow in the consolation bracket for A Draw Doubles going 1-1, with a 9-7 victory over Tiffin.
“I think the invitational proved that after a rough season last year, we will be putting ourselves back on the map,” Cimpeanu said. “I am happy with how I played, and I’m hoping that I will be able to carry this throughout the year.”
Freshman Nik Wastcoat won the C Draw Singles competition in his first time playing with the Chargers. He, like Cimpeanu, pulled through the singles competition undefeated.
“A highlight was the competitiveness and talent displayed by all three freshmen: Aidan Pack, Nik Wastcoat, and Lennart Kober,” senior Brian Hackman said. “Also, for me to be able to play a match for the first time in a year after having shoulder surgery in December was truly amazing.”
Junior Daniel Gilbert was a finalist for the B Draw Single competition, and Pack won B Draw consolation. Senior Bogdan Janicijevic and Kober both won their respective halves of the C Draw consolation, over Findlay and Purdue Northwest, respectively.
In light of this weekend, Turner says he is hopeful for the upcoming season.
“It’s still too early to tell,” Turner said. “We’ll have a good team but how good is yet to be determined.”
Only the Wastcoat and Hackman pairing claimed a victory in the main draw doubles competitions, beating Lawrence Tech and making it to the quarterfinals.
“We will be working on improving our doubles play before next weekend at the ITA tournament in Indianapolis,” Hackman said. “We need to get to the net quicker.”
The Chargers will travel to the University of Indianapolis this weekend for the ITA Midwest Regional tournament against multiple Division II teams from across the Midwest.
“This weekend really helped to shed a positive light on the potential of this team,” Cimpeanu said. “I couldn’t be prouder of this amazing group of guys. They fought all weekend long, and I think we will have a few surprises in the upcoming season. Teams won’t be ready for us.”
