Men’s Tennis: Prada and Santos Place 5th    

MOBILE, Ala. – Martin Methodist College Men’s Tennis player Melvin Prada and Vinicius Santos competed in the 2009 ITA National Small College Championships, where the NCAA Division II and II, NAIA and Junior College title-winners squared off to determine the overall champions. The tournament was held in Mobile, Alabama at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center.

 

The RedHawks pair earned a trip to the ITA's "Super Bowl" Champions of Small College Tennis by winning the ITA Regional Doubles Championship. This is the second consecutive year Prada and Santos have won the Regional Title and played for the Championship in Mobile, Alabama.

 

The team placed 5th in the 2009 doubles championship this year. They took on Istvan Bolgar and Peter Francis of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Bolgar and Francis took the match of the tournament 6-1, 6-3. The duo bounced back defeating Renardy Guelfi and Esteban Flores 6-4, 6-3. Guelfi and Flores were from Oklahoma Christian University. Next up the MMC doubles team faced a team from Walsh University beating Mark Innes and Gary Innes 6-2, 6-1.

 

“It was phenomenal for Melvin and Vinicius to make it back to the ITA national tournament.  The hardest match there is the first one, with the pressure, the anticipation, etc.  We were not quite 100 per cent against Embry Riddle, and they probably played the match of their lives.  The next two matches Mel and Vini played very well and won fairly easily.  They are an amazing doubles team, and I am very proud of them.” Commented Head Coach Melinda Sevier about her doubles team.

 

Prada and Santos will now prepare for the upcoming 2010 season as they will play in their first matches in February.