After completing its most successful season in 13 years with a quarterfinal finish at the NAIA National Tournament, #8 Westmont Men’s Tennis has added a number of post-season honors to its list of accomplishments.

Junior Carlos Lima of Porto Alegre, Brazil, was named a First Team NAIA All-American in addition to being honored as a All-Golden State Athletic Conference selection. Lima, who played at number one singles, posted a record of 8-9. At number one doubles, he partnered with sophomore Bryan Cox to notch a season record of 11-5.

Cox, who hails from Alamo, California, was also honored as an NAIA All-American, earning a place on the second team. Playing mostly at number two and three singles, Cox posted a record of 13-7. His doubles record, all played at number one, was 12-7.

The season came to an end for Westmont Men’s Tennis (10-10) in the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Championship. The eighth-ranked Warriors fell 5-1 to top-ranked Fresno Pacific (19-1) at the Mobile Tennis Courts in Mobile, Alabama.

The Warriors’ only win came at number two doubles where Mattias Neuman and Diego Almeida earned an 8-4 victory over Denny Fafek and Jose Hilla.

“I felt like we completed well,” said Neuman who won three of four matches at the tournament. “We won our match yesterday easily and were up 6-1 today. It will be a good memory to take with me from this tournament.”

At number one doubles, Carlos Lima and Bryan Cox fell 8-4 to Xavier Smith and Alex Gonzalez while at number three, Arthur Kalayjian and Tiago Hayashi were swept 8-0 by Martin Vaisse and Maxine Adam.

“Getting to nationals is what we have worked for,” said Mattias after today’s match. “We are finally here and are able to compete with the best. It feels good for all of us. We have known we are this good, but to get that affirmation is big. All of us have enjoyed being here and it is a good final thing to do as a team before we all go off to different things.”

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Eighth-ranked Westmont Men’s Tennis validated their national ranking by claiming a berth in the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Tournament. Westmont posted a 5-4 win over the tenth-ranked Yellowjackets of Graceland (Iowa) in a second round match. Tomorrow, Westmont will play a familiar foe in top-ranked Fresno Pacific. The match is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. CDT.

Mattias Neuman and Diego Almeida started off strong at number two doubles, defeating Yassir El Ghazzi and Jeremy Ackerer 8-2 to give the Warriors an early 1-0 lead. However, things were not going as well for the Warriors in the other doubles matches.

“I was concerned that we were going to be down 2-1 in doubles because Bryan (Cox) and Carlos (Lima) were down a break and it was looking suspect,” said Westmont Head Coach Mark Basham about his number one team. “But Carlos, with all his leadership as a two-year All-American, is a really great doubles player, especially when he is playing his game. He set the tone and Bryan was there to follow suit.”

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Westmont Men’s Tennis will have to wait a bit longer to learn who their first opponent will be in the NAIA Men’s Tennis National Tournament being played in Mobile, Alabama. Thunderstorms forced the suspension of first round matches on Tuesday afternoon. The incomplete matches will be resumed at 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday, assuming the weather cooperates.

Tenth-ranked Graceland (Iowa) and Sioux Falls (S.D.) will pick-up their match with the resumption of six singles matches. Graceland currently holds a 3-0 lead by virtue of a sweep in the doubles matches. The winner will take on #8 Westmont in a second round match beginning at one o’clock. The Warriors received a first round bye.

Westmont, which prepared for tomorrow’s match with a morning practice session at Medal of Honor Park on Tuesday, is looking forward to its first match.

Eighth-ranked Westmont learned today that it will receive a first-round bye in next week’s 59th Annual NAIA Men’s Tournament National Championship in Mobile, Alabama. As the number eight seed, the Warriors will open play against the winner of the Graceland (Iowa) / Sioux Falls (S.D.) first-round match on Wednesday, May 18 at 1:00 p.m. (CST).

Tenth-ranked Graceland (12-5), which competes in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, earned an automatic berth to nationals by winning a tournament of unaffiliated teams. Sioux Falls (11-7) earned a spot in the 24-team national tournament by winning the Great Plains Athletic Conference championship. Neither Graceland nor Sioux Falls shared a common opponent with the Warriors in 2010.

The Warriors are making their fourteenth appearance at the national tournament and their third since the institution of the team-play format in 2000. The Warrior’s last visit to the national tournament was in 2003 when they lost 5-2 in the second round to Embry-Riddle (Fla.).

Graceland has been a part of the national tournament field in nine of the last 11 years. In 2009, the Yellowjackets earned a 9-0 victory over Nebraska Wesleyan in the first round, before falling 5-3 to Vanguard in the second round.

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In the final match of the regular season, top-ranked Fresno Pacific (18-1, 14-0 GSAC) picked up a 6-3 Golden State Athletic Conference victory over eighth-ranked Westmont Men’s Tennis on Thursday afternoon at the Abbott Tennis Courts. Despite the loss, the Warriors (9-9, 6-8 GSAC) demonstrated that they are ready to compete at the upcoming NAIA National Championships. Injuries appear to be the Warriors’ biggest obstacle.

The Warriors concluded the season in fifth place in the GSAC standings. The Golden State Athletic Conference boasts six teams in the top nine of the nation and a seventh team (which is receiving votes in the national poll. Fresno pacific won the GSAC crown followed by #5 Azusa Pacific (17-4, 11-3 GSAC), #3 Concordia (15-4, 10-4 GSAC), #6 Vanguard (14-7, 8-6 GSAC), Westmont, #9 Point Loma Nazarene (11-10, 5-9 GSAC), Biola (6-15, 2-12 GSAC) and Hope International (1-19, 0-14).

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Due to Santa Barbara’s extended rainy season, Tuesday’s tennis matches and Wednesday’s baseball games have been postponed.

Westmont men’s and women’s tennis will make up their schedule matches with Vanguard on Monday, April 26. The men will begin at noon with the women starting at two o’clock. Both matches will be played at the Abbott Tennis Courts.

Baseball has moved its doubleheader with Point Loma Nazarene back one day. The two teams will square off on Thursday, April 22 at Russ Carr Field. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.

It wasn’t the performance Westmont Men’s Tennis coach Mark Basham had hoped for as #7 Westmont (8-6, 5-5 GSAC) took on the fifth-ranked Cougars of Azusa Pacific (13-3, 7-2 GSAC) on Tuesday at the Abbott Tennis Courts. The Warriors managed only one win, falling 8-1 to the Cougars in the Golden State Athletic Conference match.

Westmont’s win came at number three singles where Tiago Hayashi defeated Alex Lane 6-4, 7-5. After leading throughout the first set, Hayashi fell behind 5-2 in the second set. But the junior from Sao Paulo, Brazil reeled off five straight games to claim both the set and the match.

At number one singles, Carlos Lima fell to Matthijs Bolsius 6-2, 7-5 while at number two, Bryan Cox lost to Janosch Apelt 6-3, 6-2. Diego Almeida lost on the number four court 6-4, 6-1 to Jochem . At number six, Arthur Kalayjian lost 6-1, 6-2 to Danny Colten.

On the number five court, Matthias Neuman lost 7-5 to Mathias Weber in the first set and the two competitors were tied at three-all in the second set before Neuman was forced to retire with leg cramps.

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