Atlantic South
Will Duncan (Carnegie Mellon)
This was pretty much a no-brainer, as Carnegie Mellon was the only team in the Atlantic South that played two significant matches this week, and Duncan was the only Tartan who went 4-0 in those matches. Duncan started off his weekend by teaming with Duke Miller to post an 8-4 win at #1 doubles against #19 Washington & Lee. He followed that up with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win at #3 singles to clinch a crucial win for his team. On Sunday, Duncan and Miller won again at #1 doubles, this time against #4 Kenyon. He then posted a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory against the #13-ranked player in the nation, C.J. Williams. Unfortunately for Carnegie Mellon, Duncan’s efforts on Sunday weren’t enough to lift the Tartans past the 4th ranked Lords.
Central
Michael Rardon (Depauw)
To be perfectly honest, I don’t really feel like any individual from the Central region had a truly spectacular week this week. Many players had great matches, but only Depauw played more than one match against a ranked team, and their second match was an 0-9 thrashing at the hands of Emory. HOWEVER Rardon did win in both singles and doubles for the Tigers, in a potentially program-saving 5-4 victory over Wisconsin-Whitewater. After winning 8-3 at #3 doubles to help Depauw to a 2-1 lead, Rardon won 6-2 in the 3rd set over Whitewater’s Andy McGlashen to clinch the win for the Tigers at #3 singles. Rardon also played a great match against Emory’s Brian Kowalski, winning the second set before falling in a 10-point tiebreaker.
Northeast
Brantner Jones (Middlebury)
This week was Middlebury’s first significant D3 action this year, and the Jones made sure the Panthers didn’t leave California without a win. He teamed with partner Andrew Lebovitz to score an 8-3 victory over Pomona-Pitzer’s #1 doubles team to help Middlebury avoid the dreaded doubles sweep. Then, in singles, he came back from dropping the first set at #3 singles, winning 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 over Max Sabel, and providing Middlebury with the clinching 5th team point. Against CMS, Jones and Lebovitz fell in doubles, but he rolled to a 6-1 6-1 victory over the 12th ranked singles player in the country, Alex Johnson in a 3-6 Middlebury loss.
Honorable Mention: Spencer Lunghino (Middlebury), Felix Sun (Williams)
West
Max Sabel (Pomona-Pitzer)
There were a ton of really great weeks in the West region, so get ready for a crowded honorable mention section. I went with Sabel for his mental fortitude and the importance of his wins. Against, Middlebury, he teamed with Frankie Allinson to roll past Middlebury’s #2 team and help spot P-P a 2-1 lead. In singles, he dropped a close 3-set decision to Northeast POW, Brantner Jones with the match tied 4-4. The next day, he provided two points for the Hens by posting another easy victory at #2 singles and topping Whittier #3, Chris Schommer 6-2 in the 3rd. Against UC Santa Cruz, him and Allinson were moved up to #1 doubles, where they beat Cruz’ duo of Ian Stanley and Erik Rosner 8-6. Then, he clinched a vitally important win for the Hens by beating Parker Larsen 6-4 6-4.
Honorable Mention: Warren Wood (CMS), Neel Kotrappa (CMS), Bryce Bettwy (UC Santa Cruz), Frankie Allinson (Pomona-Pitzer)