DENVER - Kansas City's singles players Airam Castellano and Chicago State's Mariya Kostyuk, and Kansas City's doubles team Airam Castellano and Alex Pozo and Grand Canyon's doubles team Lana Rinaldi and Emilia Occhipinti have been named the Western Athletic Conference Tennis Players of the Week, respectively, for April 16-22.
Castellano, a senior from Gran Canaria, Spain, defeated the top singles player from Saint Louis this past weekend in preparation for the upcoming conference tournament. With a score of 6-4, 6-4, he has won eight of his last nine matches and tallied 17 victories over the season.
Kostyuk, a senior from Kyiv, Ukraine, produced a three-set victory at No. 1 singles in her final collegiate home match this past weekend. She defeated her opponent from Valparaiso 2-6, 6-2, 11-9.
Castellano, a senior from Gran Canaria, Spain, and teammate Pozo, a senior from St. Louis, Mo., paired together this weekend to defeat Saint Louis's top duo 7-5 this past weekend. The pair have won three straight matches as they enter into the conference tournament and have won nine of the last 11.
Rinaldi, a senior from Belgium, and partner Occhipinti, a sophomore from Ragusa, Italy, picked up a win against Northern Arizona on senior day. They defeated NAU's top duo 7-5 for their ninth win of the season and their fourth in a row.
Other male singles nominees: NM State's Christofer Goncalves was victorious over Western New Mexico's top singles player 6-3, 3-6, 6-5.
Other female singles nominees: Grand Canyon's Ludouica Infantino defeated Northern Arizona's sixth seeded athlete 6-4, 6-3… Kansas City's Aliona Ladutska picked up her 18th win with a victory over Saint Louis's top singles athlete 6-1, 6-1.
Other male doubles nominees: NM State's Mauri Benitez/Christofer Goncalves defeated Western New Mexico's top pair 6-2.
Other female doubles nominees: Chicago State's Mariya Kostyuk/Katarina Drazic downed Valparaiso's top pair 6-1… Kansas City's Aliona Ladutska/Grace Ball defeated the second seed from Saint Louis 6-2.