WMU News

Men's tennis team captures Wagner Cup

Feb. 19, 2000

KALAMAZOO -- The Western Michigan University men's tennis team defeated Kalamazoo College 6-1 on Saturday (Feb. 19) to win the annual Wagner Cup competition.

The victory was WMU's third straight against the cross-town rival Hornets. The Wagner Cup has been awarded to the winner of the WMU-Kalamazoo match since 1986. The Broncos were 3-11 in Wagner Cup play entering Saturday's match.

"They don't measure their season by this match and neither do we," WMU head coach Dave Morin said. "It's always good to beat your inner city rival.

We showed good emotion during the match. The players really supported and inspired one another. When things were going bad we didn't let it snowball."

Kalamazoo grabbed a 1-0 lead to start the match by winning two of the three doubles matches. Senior Jeff Brink and junior Fernando Garcia posted the lone Bronco doubles victory with an 8-6 triumph at No. 3. Ryan Tomlinson and Steve Pillon lost 8-5 to Dan Harding and Kyle Harding at No. 1. Kyle Gernhofer and Ryan Maarschalk lost 8-6 at No. 2.

WMU swept the singles matches to claim the Wagner Cup. Tomlinson was a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Dan Harding; Garcia notched a 6-1, 7-6 victory in the No. 2 match; Pillon defeated Toby Ernst 6-3, 6-1 at No. 3 while Christian Brattstrom won 6-1, 6-2 over Kent Dolbee at No. 4. Gernhofer won 6-1, 6-4 at
No. 5 while Brink recorded a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Andrew Minnelli at No. 6.

"They way we played singles was a very convincing representation of our national ranking and where we're at," Morin said. "We need to get better to repeat as MAC champions."

WMU posted 17-10 overall, 8-2 Mid-American Conference records last year en route to winning its first MAC championship since 1981. The Broncos lost to No. 1 UCLA 4-0 May 14 in Los Angeles in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Media contact: Geoff Brown; 616 387-4138; geoffrey.brown@wmich.edu


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