For the seventh time in school history, UCSC's men's tennis team has captured an NCAA national championship. The latest triumph occurred this afternoon when the Slugs defeated Amherst College 5-0. The 2009 NCAA Division III championships were played at Claremont College in Southern California.
UCSC led 3-0 after the three doubles matches were completed, and they played their way to a 5-0 sweep with victories in the No. 1 and 5 singles matches. With a national championship clinched, the remaining four singles matches still in progress were suspended, though UCSC led in every one of them.
NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championship Finals:
#3 UC Santa Cruz (18-7) def. #6 Amherst College (28-7), 5-0
Doubles
1. Max Liberty-Point/Ilya Gendelman (UCSC) defeated Zack Lerner/Moritz Koenig (A), 8-6
2. Jared Kamel/Mark Vartabedian (UCSC) defeated Priit Gross/Austin Chafetz (A), 8-5
3. Max Ortiz/Colin Mark-Griffin (UCSC) defeated Andrew Jung/Wes Waterman (A), 8-6
Singles
1. Max Liberty-Point (UCSC) defeated Zack Lerner (A), 6-3, 7-6
2. Jared Kamel (UCSC) led Austin Chafetz (A), 7-6, 4-2 (when title clinched)
3. Max Ortiz (UCSC) led Andrew Jung (A), 6-2, 2-6, 2-1 (when title clinched)
4. Ilya Gendelman (UCSC) led Moritz Koenig (A), 7-6, 4-4 (when title clinched)
5. Colin Mark-Griffin (UCSC) defeated Priit Gross (A), 6-4, 6-2
6. Mark Vartabedian (UCSC) led Wes Waterman (A), 6-2, 6-5 (when title clinched)
UCSC's tennis team also captured the Division III crown in 1989, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2005, and 2007; the 2005 title, contested on the Slug's East Field courts, was captured in front of home fans.
