Wake Forest Men's Tennis Wins NCAA Championships
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Capping a season in which the Wake Forest men’s tennis team occupied the No. 1 spot from the get-go, the Demon Deacons defeated No. 3 Ohio State, 4-2, to capture the 2018 NCAA National Championship for the first time in program history on Tuesday, May 22 at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.
Off the coin flip, the championship match lived up to its billing in doubles and singles with the outcome hinging on the last two courts.
Senior Skander Mansouri put Wake Forest up 3-2, causing heads to swivel between the final courts – one and four. At the time, Ohio State’s Tim Seibert was trying to force a third set on Bar Botzer (Tel Aviv, ISRAEL), up 5-2 on court four, while No. 7 Borna Gojo was trying to do the same on court one against No. 6 Mikael Torpegaard. As Gojo fought into a tiebreaker, Botzer staged a furious comeback, winning five straight games to clinch the Demon Deacons’ Championship.
The NCAA title represents the school’s ninth team championship. Wake Forest’s run in the NCAA Tournament started to be historical after earning the program's first trip to the semifinals, leaving the two next matches to further rewrite the record books. The Demon Deacons finished 31-2 overall, a program record for wins in a season, while Ohio State closed the season 34-3.
Adva Cohen Named NJCAA D1 National Track Athlete of the Year
NEW ORLEANS, May 23, 2018 National Athletes and Coaches of the Year for the 2018 NJCAA Outdoor Track & Field season were announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Adva Cohen (Jerusalem, ISRAEL) was named the National Track Athlete of the Year.
Cohen
was simply dominant during her freshman campaign. The runner from Israel
totaled 32 points for the Iowa Central Tritons by winning the 1500, 5000 and
steeplechase while anchoring the second-place 4×800 relay team at the NJCAA
Division championships. She was just as spectacular during the regular season,
breaking the Israeli national record in the steeplechase with a time of
9:52.37, winning the Drake Relays in the process. She also broke the NJCAA
5000-meter record with a time of 16:07.03 at the Kansas Relays, also doubling
as an Israeli national record. From the 1500m to the 5K, Cohen has dropped one
unbelievable performance after another this spring, highlighted by her 9:52.37
3K steeple at the Drake Relays that broke the Israeli, NJCAA, and Drake Relays
records. That time would currently rank sixth in the NCAA. She is also knocking
on the door of sub-16 minutes in the 5K, as Cohen ran a 16:07 PR at Kansas
Relays less than a month ago. She’ll head to the University of New Mexico this
upcoming fall, where Cohen seems destined to become a Division I star as she
joins the reigning NCAA cross country champions in Albuquerque.
Gilad Berman, Georgia Gwinnett College
DYNASTY! Georgia Gwinnett College Men's Tennis Captures Fifth Consecutive NAIA National Championship
Saturday, May 19, 2018 - Five seasons of postseason play have resulted in five NAIA national championship titles for the Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis program – the latest coming with a resounding 5-0 victory against No. 2-seeded Keiser University (Fla.) Saturday afternoon at the Mobile Tennis Center.
The Grizzlies closed out play in this year's national championships by not losing a single point in four rounds of matches.
GGC players and coaching staff chanted "Dynasty" after the team wrapped up the latest championship.
"We have a special group of players. Five in a row is a special feat," said Head Coach Chase Hodges. "I am super proud of the guys. Every opponent gives us their best and even with those stiff challenges we continue to win at a high level."
The Grizzlies set a winning pace early by dominating all three doubles matches.
The senior tandem of Kevin Konfederak and Gilad Berman (Ramat Hasharon, ISRAEL) won eight of 10 games to grab the first point of the match.
"The first point is always huge, giving us momentum for the rest of the match," noted Hodges. "We have put a lot of emphasis on doubles in practice. We make life easy on us with strong doubles play."
Berman was named the national championships' Most Outstanding Player while Hodges was once again named the NAIA Coach of the Year.
"I am really happy for Gilad," said Hodges. "I love all of my players, but to have a senior clinch the point and to have the career he has had is remarkable."
