MEMPHIS – Ben Lammert delivered the deciding point as the No. 15-ranked Sewanee men's tennis team edged No. 14-ranked Trinity, 4-3, on Sunday morning to capture its 12th SAA Championship.
Sewanee seized early momentum in doubles play. Lucas Wrigley and Max Verellen were dominant at No. 3, earning a 6-0 victory. At No. 1, Andre-Remi Jakobi and Samuel Schroerlucke clinched the doubles point with a 6-2 win over the nation's No. 2-ranked pair of Jared Perry and Kishan Kersten. At No. 2 doubles, Ben Lammert and Drew Rukavina were at 3-4 when play was halted.
In singles action, Schroerlucke extended the Tigers' lead to 2-0 with a decisive 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 4. Trinity responded with victories at the top two positions to even the match, as Jakobi fell 6-4, 7-5 to the No. 28-ranked Kersten at No. 1, and Henry Hyden dropped a 6-4, 6-2 decision to the No. 40-ranked Perry at No. 2.
Wrigley pushed Sewanee back in front with a 7-6 (3), 6-4 win at No. 6, putting the Tigers one point from the title. Trinity answered again at No. 5, where Verellen battled to a three-set match, falling 5-7 in the third after splitting the opening two sets, to level the score at 3-3.
That left the championship to be decided at No. 3 singles. Lammert dropped a tightly contested first-set tiebreak, 8-6, but responded with a 6-4 win in the second. In the decisive third set, Lammert took control, winning the final four games to secure a 6-3 victory and clinch the championship for the Tigers.
Sewanee's win over Trinity marks their 12th championship, as the Tigers have not lost a championship in which they have competed since the start of the Southern Athletic Association.
The Tigers will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships and will await the NCAA Championship show on May 4th.
Men's Tennis All-Tournament Team:
Ashton Ellis, Southwestern
Oliver Bonovich, Rhodes
Kishan Kersten, Trinity
Jared Perry, Trinity
Ben Lammert, Sewanee
Lucas Wrigley, Sewanee
Samuel Schroerlucke, Sewanee (MVP)