CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – It was a good weekend to be a member of the Luther College men's tennis team. The Norse dominated the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Individual Championships, as multiple student-athletes claimed titles in both singles and doubles play. In fact, Luther was so dominant, individuals won the A Singles, A Doubles and B singles championships, as the Norse claimed the top-3 in the A Singles Championship.
A Singles Competition:
A total of 12 Luther student-athletes competed in the A-Singles competition, with 10 total student-athletes competing in the first round. Max Loen (Eau Claire, Wis. / Memorial) and Luke Westholder (Edina, Minn. / Edina) earned the No. 1 and 2 seeds in the competition and therefore, first round byes. Of the 10 individuals who competed in the opening round of the A-Singles Tournament, nine advanced to the second round, and seven of the nine advanced to the quarterfinals. In fact, the only Norse men's tennis players who didn't advance where those who were forced to play their teammates in a second round draw.
Loen, Westholder, Felipe Biscaro (Sã0 Do Rio, Preto Brazil / Colegio Angelo Americano), and Marvin Kuehnelt (Penzberg, Germany / Boca Raton International Prep School) advanced through the quarterfinals to the semis, guaranteeing an all-Luther final in both the championship and third place matches. Loen defeated Biscaro 6-4, 7-5 in his semifinal matches, advancing to face his doubles partner, Westholder, in the championship after the sophomore defeated Kuehnelt 5-7, 6-4. 10-7.
After marathon semifinals for both Loen and Westholder, the latter claimed the A-R-C A-Singles Individual Championship with a 6-1, 6-2 win in the final. Biscaro took home third place honors, defeating Kuehnelt in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, for the Norse sweep.
A Doubles Competition:
Luther was equally as dominant in the A Doubles Tournament as it was in A Singles, with three of the four final teams wearing royal blue and white. Top team of Westholder and Loen earned first round byes as the tournament's No. 1 overall seed and quickly showed why they deserved that seeding. The duo made quick work of their firs opponents, dispatching Wartburg's Elijah Swanstrom and AJ Wilkins 8-1 before defeating their teammates Nando Melo (Lago Sul, Brazil / Colégio Saber) and Dylan Wimers (Coal Valley, Ill. / Moline) 8-5 in the quarterfinals.
Loen and Westholder were once again forced to face their teammates in the semifinal. While the team of Eli Young (Tiffin, Iowa / Clear Creek Amana) and Abhay Chhabra (New Delhi, India / Harvest International School) put up a fight against the tournament's No. 1 overall seed, it was Leon and Westholder who advanced to the championship, defeating their opponents and teammates 8-1 in the semi. It was the championship, though, that proved to be the duo's most difficult match of the day. For the first time since their opening round match, Loen and Westholder were forced to face someone other than a Luther team, as Coe's Ivan Burt-Smith and Graham Peterson defeated Taigo De Felicio (Robeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil / Montverde Academy) and Ricky Portilla (Quito, Ecuador / Colégio Pachamama) 8-6.
Burt-Smith and Peterson gave Loen and Westholder all they could handle, forcing a tiebreaker after playing to a 7-7 draw. In the end, though, Loen and Westholder were victorious, winning the tiebreaker 7-3 to claim the championship by final score of 8-7. Young and Chhabra won the third place match by walkover.
B Singles Competition:
The Norse claimed first and third place in the B Singles competition after Geoffrey Stoughton (Santa Cruz, Bolivia / Santa Cruz International School), JP Rosaldo (Juriquilla, Quertétaro, Mexico / Carol Baur) and Aidan Hunter (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) all advanced through the semifinal round. Stoughton defeated Loras' Gage Becker in the championship match 8-4, becoming the third Luther student-athlete to win and individual title Saturday afternoon. Rosaldo then defeated Hunter in the third place bout by final score of 8-2, helping the Norse claim five of six medals available in the A and B Singles competitions.
B Doubles Competition:
Luther had two teams compete in the B Doubles Tournament. Rosaldo and Nico Martinez Biali (Posadas, Argentina / San Basilio Magno) fell in the first round of the tournament, as a late break gave Central's Matthew Den Adel and Ayden Fletcher an 8-6 victory.
The Norse's second pair of Connor Fuzzey (Plymouth, Minn. / Wayzata) and Dylan Determan (Camanche, Iowa / Camanche) won their opening round match 8-5 but just missed a trip to the quarterfinals. After the first round winning, a late break cost the duo a trip to the quarters, as Fuzzey and Determan lost to Central's Carter Corn and Brandon Hale 8-6 in the second round.
C Singles Competition:
Peter Heryla (Fridley, Minn. / Columbia Heights) and Fuzzey both made deep runs in the C Singles Tournament. After winning his play in match 8-1, Herlya advanced to the tournament's quarterfinals, claiming his first round match by walkover and winning his match in the second round 8-6. The junior came up just short in the quarterfinal round. After staying on serve to a 7-7 draw, Heryla and Loras' Henry Condo were locked in a heated tiebreaker to see who would advance to the semis. Condo, though, won a point late on Heryla's serve, winning the tie breaker 8-6 to claim the match 8-7.
Fuzzey won his first round match of singles play 8-5 but fell in the second round 8-4.
TOP NORSE
- Luke Westholder (Edina, Minn. / Edina) earned gold medalist honors in both singles and doubles play, claiming first place in both A Tournaments. His teammate Max Loen (Eau Claire, Wis. / Memorial) earned gold medal honors in A Doubles play and won the silver medal after a loss to Westholder in the A Singles Championship match.
- Geoffrey Stoughton (Santa Cruz, Bolivia / Santa Cruz International School) won the gold medal in B Singles, while JP Rosaldo (Juriquilla, Quertétaro, Mexico / Carol Baur) took home bronze.
UP NEXT
Luther will compete in the ITA Midwest Regional Tournament September 30 through October 2 in its final competition of the 2022-23 fall season. The tournament will be hosted at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. Seedings and tournament brackets will be announced later this week.
For all the latest on Luther Women's Tennis, stay tuned to luthernorse.com and follow the team on Twitter.
