April 16, 2005
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The 37th-ranked San Diego State men's tennis team clinched the Mountain West Conference regular season championship with its 5-2 victory over No. 60 New Mexico Saturday afternoon in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Aztecs' 10th straight win pushes their record to 14-5 overall and 4-0 in the MWC. The regular season championship is SDSU's fifth in six years and first since 2003.
The Aztecs started the afternoon on the right note by winning the doubles point. At No. 1 Armando Carrascosa and Benedikt Stronk lost to fifth-ranked Ryan Stotland and David Kowalski, 8-5. But SDSU responded with wins at Nos. 2 and 3 to give the Aztecs an early advantage.
At No. 2 Daniel Jung and Dontia Haynes won their third straight with a 9-8(5) effort over New Mexico's Max Jones and Kamil Pajkowki. At the third position, Markus Dickhardt and Eugenio Romero posted their second consecutive win, 8-5, over the tandem of Eric Conklin and Derek Boland.
In singles, SDSU recorded three wins to clinch the match before New Mexico could get on the scoreboard.
No. 64 Stronk was first off the court with his, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, victory over Max Jones at the top spot. Dickhardt followed with a straight sets triumph (7-5, 6-1) over Ryan Stotland at No. 2 to give the Aztecs a commanding 3-0 lead.
With a chance to clinch the team's 10th consecutive win, Jung notched a, 7-5, 6-3, win at No. 6 over Lobo senior Boland. Jung's match-clinching victory was his eighth straight singles win.
Following Jung's effort, SDSU lost matches at Nos. 5 and 3, before Chris Groh posted his eighth consecutive victory, using a 3-6, 6-4, 6-0, performance to give the match its final score.
The Aztecs close out the MWC regular season tomorrow morning when they take on the Air Force Falcons. The season finale is set for a 10 a.m. MST start.
#37 San Diego State 5, #60 New Mexico 2
Doubles
1. #5 Stotland-Kowalski (UNM) def. Stronk-Carrascosa (SDSU), 8-5
2. Jung-Haynes (SDSU) def. Jones-Pajkowski (UNM), 9-8(5)
3. Dickhardt-Romero (SDSU) def. Conklin-Boland (UNM), 8-5
San Diego State wins doubles point
Singles
1. #64 Benedikt Stronk (SDSU) def. Max Jones (UNM), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
2. Markus Dickhardt (SDSU) def. Ryan Stotland (UNM), 7-5, 6-1
3. David Kowalski (UNM) def. #82 Armando Carrascosa (SDSU), 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-5
4. Chris Groh (SDSU) def. Kamil Pajkowski (UNM), 3-6, 6-4, 6-0
5. Eric Conklin (UNM) def. Dontia Haynes (SDSU), 6-4, 5-7, 10-8
6. Daniel Jung (SDSU) def. Derek Boland (UNM), 7-5, 6-3