DENVER - NM State's singles player Christofer Goncalves and Kansas City's doubles team Airam Castellano and Alex Pozo have been named the Western Athletic Conference Tennis Players of the Week, respectively, for April 9-15.
Goncalves, a senior from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, went 2-0 with an unfinished match over the weekend. This is the third-straight season he has gone undefeated in league play and the second at the top singles position. Goncalves first defeated his opponent from Kansas City in three sets 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 before he defeated Grand Canyon's top singles player 7-6, 6-3. His match on Sunday against DePaul's competitor was left unfinished with it tied one set apiece with the third set knotted at 6-3, 6-7 (8-6) 1-1.
Castellano, a senior from Gran Canaria, Spain, and teammate Pozo, a senior from St. Louis, Mo. went 2-0 over the weekend in the final WAC cluster helping their team claim the regular season title and the first seed position going into the tournament. First they defeated NM State's top duo 6-1 and finished the weekend with a 6-3 victory over the UT Rio Grande Valley's top pair. Castellano and Pozo went 5-0 in WAC play and have won seven of their past nine matches.
Other male singles nominees: Grand Canyon's Lucas Grego defeated NM State's fifth flight 6-3, 6-2 before defeating Chicago State's fourth flight 7-5, 6-4… Kansas City's Alex Pozo went 2-0 as the second flight defeating NM State's competitor 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 and UT Rio Grande Valley's athlete 6-2, 6-3… Seattle U's Colton Weeldreyer was victorious over Chicago State's third flight 6-2, 7-5 and UT Rio Grande Valley's third flight 3-6, 6-0, 6-3… UT Rio Grande Valley's Yehonatan Kaufman went 2-1 as the second flight first defeating Chicago State 6-2, 6-4 before falling to Kansas City 6-2, 6-3 and bouncing back with a 7-6, 6-0 win.
Other male doubles nominees: Grand Canyon's Mathieu Rajaonah/Lorenzo Fucile was downed by NM State's top flight 7-6 (7-5) before bouncing back to defeat Chicago State's top duo 6-3… NM State's Stijn de Haan/Mauri Benitez went 2-1 as the second flight pair beginning their weekend with a 7-5 loss to Kansas City but turning it around with a 6-4 win over Grand Canyon and 6-2 win over DePaul… Seattle U's Arshak Ghazaryan/Emilio Monroy won by default in the third flight against Chicago State but also defeated UT Rio Grande Valley's third flight pair 6-3… UT Rio Grande Valley's Yehonatan Kaufman/Elliot Johnstone competed as the second flight and defeated Chicago State 6-4, lost 6-2 to Kansas City and was victorious over Seattle U 7-5.