For the first time ever Incarnate Word’s men’s tennis team has been ranked number one in the South Central Region.
Posted by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), the poll comes on the heels of the fall season when UIW had a strong showing in the annual ITA regional tournament. In that event the Cardinals had two singles players reach the semi-finals, one of whom finished as tournament runnerup. Also, UIW had a doubles team reach the finals.
The Cardinals have a storied history of NCAA Division II tournament play including trips to the national championships. Also, Incarnate Word yearly is ranked in the region if not the nation. But never before has the team been at the very top of the region.
In one half of the ITA fall singles draw UIW senior Francisco Segura and sophomore Alex Wieland reached the semi-finals, playing each other and guaranteeing Incarnate Word of a finalist. Segura won that match 6-3, 6-2 to advance before falling in the finals to Ryan Ward from Washburn in Kansas. Additionally UIW senior Jose Arizpe played his way into the third round before falling to Ward.
Over in doubles at the ITA tournament, the Incarnate Word combination of Wieland and junior Max Moreau reached the finals before losing. UIW’s other doubles team of Arizpe and Segura lost in the second round.
Based on those results, Ward is ranked number one in singles for the South Central while Segura is two, Wieland is four and Arizpe is eight. In doubles, Moreau and Wieland are second behind the team of Stipani and Zaputovic of Midwestern State.