Fighting Owls Men’s Tennis Shows Well at Nationals

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FLORENCE, S.C. – The Harford men's tennis team wrapped up its season May 12–16 at the NJCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship, finishing 10th out of 28 teams.

Despite a rain-soaked start that postponed all matches on opening day, the team made the most of its downtime, enjoying local attractions, including a round of indoor mini golf at Magnolia Mall.

When competition finally began on May 13, the Fighting Owls came out strong. In a landmark achievement for the program, all six singles players and all three doubles teams won their first-round matches — keeping everyone out of the consolation bracket, a first in Harford's history at the tournament.

On the singles side, victories came from Tristan Duval (No. 1), Tom Zimpel (No. 2), Lucas Fox (No. 3), Unai Llerena Perez (No. 4), Alejandro Rotundo (No. 5) and Martin Dominguez (No. 6).

The doubles teams of Duval and Llerena Perez (No. 1) and Fox and Dominguez (No. 2) also advanced. The third doubles team, Zimpel and Adrian Weisser, had a first-round bye as the No. 6 seed.

"Our players played hard, never quit and represented Harford in a big way all week," said head coach Kevin Shaner.

Competition intensified on the second day, with several early exits from the singles draw. Only Rotundo advanced to the quarterfinals at the No. 5 spot, while Zimpel and Weisser picked up another win in No. 3 doubles to reach the quarterfinal round. Rotundo's quarterfinal match later that day ended in a narrow loss after a second-set tiebreaker, following a lengthy rain delay.

Zimpel and Weisser were the final Harford pair in the tournament. Their quarterfinal match on Thursday was a hard-fought battle. After dropping the first set, the duo stormed back to take the second convincingly. Ultimately, they fell just short in the third set, ending Harford's impressive run.

"We finished [the season] strong and went out on a high note," Shaner said.

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Players Mentioned

Tom Zimpel

6' 1"

Freshman

Tristan Duval

6' 2"

Sophomore

Lucas Fox

6' 5"

Sophomore

Adrian Weisser

5' 8"

Sophomore

Alejandro Rotundo

Freshman

Players Mentioned

Tom Zimpel

6' 1"

Freshman

Tristan Duval

6' 2"

Sophomore

Lucas Fox

6' 5"

Sophomore

Adrian Weisser

5' 8"

Sophomore

Alejandro Rotundo

Freshman

Original Article