Oscar Burney and the Stags begin the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon.

Posted: May 11, 2018

Stags Begin NCAA Tournament Run at Home

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CLAREMONT, Calif. - The No. 5 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags earned a bye through the First Round of the NCAA Tournament thanks to a stellar 2018 season that saw CMS go 28-3 overall and win the SCIAC Championship. In addition to their First Round bye, the Stags earned hosting duties at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center for the opening weekend. As a result, CMS will welcome No. 31 UC Santa Cruz, No. 29 UT Tyler, and No. 15 Trinity (TX) to Claremont for the Second and Third Rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

All four teams at the Regional earned byes through the First Round on Thursday and the Second Round will pit CMS vs. US Santa Cruz and UT Tyler will play Trinity (TX). Both matches will take place Friday at 2:00 p.m. with the winners of Friday's matches meeting in the Third Round on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

See below for a snapshot of the four teams in the Claremont Regional:

No. 5 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags

Location: Claremont, Calif.

Head Coach: Paul Settles (15th Season)

2018 Record: 28-3, 7-0 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Roster | Schedule | Stats

Matches Against Currently Top-25 Ranked

Feb. 23 – (N) Trinity (TX) – 9-0 W
Feb. 24 – (N) Washington - St. Louis – 6-3 W
Feb. 25 – (N) Emory – 5-4 L
Mar. 12 – Swarthmore – 9-0 W
Mar. 13 – Bowdoin – 7-2 L
Mar. 15 – Skidmore – 9-0 W
Mar. 17 – Amherst – 9-0 W
Mar. 24 – Tufts – 7-2 W
Mar. 27 – Williams – 5-4 L
Mar. 31 – Middlebury – 8-1 W
Apr. 7 – Gustavus Adolphus – 9-0 W
Apr. 12 – Pomona-Pitzer – 9-0 W
May 5 – Pomona-Pitzer – 5-1 W

100 Words About the Stags:

The Stags arrive in the NCAA Tournament with a 28-3 record overall and winners of the SCIAC. CMS played one of the toughest and busiest schedules in the country this season with 13 matches against teams that ended the regular season ranked in the top-25 Nationally. In those top-25 ranked matches, CMS went 10-3 with two of their three losses coming in 5-4 decisions. The Stags are led by a tremendous group of underclassmen that features Nikolai Parodi, Jack Katzman, and Oscar Burney who anchor the top three singles spots for CMS. The trio has combined for an overall record of 52-12 on the season in singles duals. In doubles play Parodi has paired with junior captain Julian Gordy and the duo holds a 19-5 record on the top court.

No. 31 UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs

Location: Santa Cruz, Calif.

Head Coach: Michael Napoli (5th season)

2018 Record: 14-7, 6-1 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Roster | Schedule | News

Matches Against Currently Top-25 Ranked

Mar. 24 – Pomona-Pitzer – 8-1 L
Mar. 26 – Middlebury – 5-4 L
Mar. 30 – CMS – 6-3 L
Apr. 15 – Whitman – 7-2 L

100 Words About the Banana Slugs:

This is the 33rd NCAA Tournament appearance for UCSC and their first for the Banana Slugs since 2016. The Banana Slugs are ranked 31st in the country in the latest Division III Men's Tennis National Rankings. Since UCSC is an independent, the Banana Slugs earned their way into the NCAA Tournament by earning a Pool 'B' bid. They went 4-9 in duals this season but held a 4-4 record against Division III opponents. Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, the Banana Slugs lost to five Division I and II schools. Senior captain Chad Stone was undefeated against Division III players in dual matches this year.

No. 15 Trinity (TX) Tigers

Location: San Antonio, Texas

Head Coach: Russell McMindes (9th Season)

2017-18 Record: 15-11

Roster | Schedule | News

Matches Against Currently Top-25 Ranked

Feb. 11 – Whitman – 9-0 L
Feb. 23 – CMS – 9-0 L
Feb. 25 – Carnegie Mellon – 5-2 L
Mar. 12 – Swarthmore – 5-4 W
Mar. 13 – Pomona-Pitzer – 8-1 L
Mar. 16 – Case Western Reserve – 5-4 W

100 Words About the Tigers:

Trinity (TX) earned the Automatic Qualifier from the Southern California Athletic Conference (SCAC) with a 5-0 victory over Southwestern at the end of April. Five Tigers earned All-SCAC honors this season with freshman Wilson Hamilton being named the SCAC Newcomer of the Year. Hamilton holds a 9-9 singles record while fellow freshman, Jace Akagi-Okuma holds an 18-8 records in singles play with a 13-game winning streak. The Stags and Tigers have already met this season with CMS earning a 9-0 victory over Trinity (TX) on Feb. 23 at the ITA Indoor Championships.

No. 29 UT Tyler Patriots

Location: Tyler, Texas

Head Coach: Adam Cohen (1st Season)

2017 Record: 21-4, 5-0 American Southwestern Conference

Roster | Schedule | News

Matches Against Currently Top-25 Ranked

Mar. 30 – Trinity (TX) – 7-2 L
Apr. 20 – Washington - St. Louis – 9-0 L

100 Words About the Patriots:

The Patriots have won 21 matches this year and arrive at the National Tournament after winning their fifth-straight ASC Title with a 5-1 victory over UT-Dallas in the Championship Match. UT Tyler has won eight of their last nine matches and 15 of their final 17 entering the weekend. The Patriots earned four All-Conference selections with Arthur Fagundes earning East Division MVP honors from the ASC for the second-straight year. The junior is ranked 11th in the country in singles. Jose Cuerra, Alvar de la Mano Andres, Thomas Parra, and Josh Vanwinkle also earned All-ASC nods from their singles play this season.