DURHAM, N.C. – Seniors
Miles Clark and
Amit Baran were honored before Thursday's regular season finale for the North Carolina Central University men's tennis team, which ended as a 7-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference loss to South Carolina State University.
Clark had NCCU's best performance, playing in the only three-set singles match of the day. However, Clark eventually lost 3-6, 6-1, 4-6 to freshman Rostislav Haflinger in the top flight match. Haflinger finished his rookie regular season undefeated in league play.
South Carolina State (10-9 Overall, 5-0) also went undefeated in league play as a team to clinch the regular season title. The Bulldogs will be the top seed in the 2022 MEAC Men's Tennis Championship that will be hosted by NCCU at the Cary Tennis Park and they will get a bye in the quarterfinal round.
NC Central (4-15 Overall, 2-3 MEAC) will enter postseason play as the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament and will play fifth-seed Coppin State University in the quarterfinals on Thursday, April 28 at 2 p.m.
The Bulldogs won all three doubles bouts by matching 6-3 scores and then won in straight sets on courts two, three and four to clinch the team victory.
Rounding out NCCU's singles lineup were senior No. 2
Sebastian Pino (L, 6-7, 2-6), No. 3 Baran (L, 3-6, 0-6), freshman No. 4
Oliver Saarinen (L, 0-6, 2-6), sophomore No. 5
Shaka Cristellotti (L, 2-6, 4-6) and junior No. 6
LaQuon Gilchrist (L, 2-6, 0-6).
