As the first championship on the ITA calendar, the ITA Regional Small College Championships were back in full swing this past weekend as several student-athletes from the Division II and NAIA levels clinched their spot into the ITA Cup. Tabbed as the largest organized tournament in college tennis during the fall season, over 8,000 student-athletes will compete across the Division II, Division III, NAIA, and Junior College levels over the next few weeks.
In week one, six regional championships took place on campuses across the country, this includes four regions in which both men’s and women’s champions were crowned.
At the Division II level, Charleston (WV) impressed at the Atlantic Regional as Jorge Perez (Charleston (WV)) won the men’s singles draw as well as the men’s doubles draw with partner Jowan Rawsson (Charleston (WV)). Meanwhile, Prinkle Singh (Charleston (WV)) won her second straight Atlantic Region women’s singles title, while Kayla Dean and Roisin Murphy (Mercyhurst) took home the doubles championship.
Across the remaining Division II Regional Championships, players from the host institutions won three of four singles titles, including Sebastian Pjontek (Washburn), Roni Rikkonen (Queens (NY)), and Tyffaine Pais (UIndy). In total, nine Division II institutions had players directly qualify for the ITA Cup through regional play this past weekend.
From the NAIA level, action was underway from both the Florida and South Regions. Here, both Keiser and Georgia Gwinnett served as hosts as they each looked to once again qualify both singles and doubles players for the upcoming ITA Cup.
At the Florida Regional, Keiser came out victorious in all four draws. In singles, Soufiane El Mesbahi won the men’s draw, while the 2022 ITA Cup NAIA Women’s Singles Champion, Violet Apisah, won the women’s draw. From doubles, Shaheed Alam & Soufiane El Mesbahi teamed up to win the men’s doubles draw and Yeva Kononovych & Isabella Perez Florez won the women’s doubles draw.
From the NAIA South Regional, Tennessee Wesleyan swept the titles on the men’s side as Nicolas Cortes Campos won the singles draw and then paired up with Octavio Volpi to win the doubles draw. On the women’s side of play, Justine Lespes (Georgia Gwinnett) took home the singles title, while the duo of Benjumeda & Talbi (SCAD Atlanta) made an impressive run to win the doubles draw.
A complete list of Week One ITA Regional Small College Championship flight winners can be found below:
Division II
Men’s & Women’s Atlantic Regional | Bloomsburg | Tournament Page
- Men’s Singles Champion: Jorge Perez, Charleston (WV)
- Women’s Singles Champion: Prinkle Singh, Charleston (WV)
- Men’s Doubles Champions: Jorge Perez & Jowan Rawson, Charleston (WV)
- Women’s Doubles Champions: Kayla Dean & Roisin Murphy, Mercyhurst
Men’s Central Regional | Washburn | Tournament Page
- Men’s Singles Champion: Sebastian Pjontek, Washburn
- Men’s Doubles Champions: Fernando Docters & Ramon Strassmann, Ouachita Baptist
Men’s & Women’s East Regional | Queens (NY) | Tournament Page
- Men’s Singles Champion: Roni Rikkonen, Queens (NY)
- Women’s Singles Champion: Ebba Rosberg, Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Men’s Doubles Champions: Seth Newman & Henry Ronnberg, Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Women’s Doubles Champions: Roisin Boyd & Katarina Liedbeck, Adelphi
Women’s Midwest Regional | UIndy | Tournament Page
- Women’s Singles Champion: Tyffaine Pais, UIndy
- Women’s Doubles Champions: Billur Gonlusen & Carolina Velazquez, Maryville
NAIA
Men’s & Women’s Florida Regional | Keiser | Tournament Page
- Men’s Singles Champion: Soufiane El Mesbahi, Keiser
- Women’s Singles Champion: Violet Apisah, Keiser
- Men’s Doubles Champions: Shaheed Alam & Soufiane El Mesbahi, Keiser
- Women’s Doubles Champions: Yeva Kononovych & Isabella Perez Florez, Keiser
Men’s & Women’s South Regional | Georgia Gwinnett | Tournament Page (N/A)
- Men’s Singles Champion: Nicolas Cortes Campos, Tennessee Wesleyan
- Women’s Singles Champion: Justine Lespes, Georgia Gwinnett
- Men’s Doubles Champions: Nicolas Cortes Campos & Octavio Volpi, Tennessee Wesleyan
- Women’s Doubles Champions: Begoña Benjumeda & Talbi, SCAD Atlanta
