W&J earns PAC men's tennis title 4/27/2019 7:50:00 PM WASHINGTON, Pa. (pacathletics.org)--Top-seeded Washington & Jefferson College earned a 5-1 victory over second-seeded Grove City College Saturday afternoon in the title match of this year's Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Men’s Tennis Championship Tournament. The league championship is W&J's (15-3) fourth overall and first since winning three straight from 1967-69. W&J sophomore Nate Wang (Venetia, Pa. | Peters Township) was voted the championship tournament's Most Outstanding Performer for his efforts in helping secure the team title. The first doubles pairing of Wang and sophomore Sam Bellini (Pittsburgh, Pa. | Mount Lebanon) claimed an 8-3 win at first doubles while the second doubles pairing of junior Stephen Mehlbaum (Sellersville, Pa. | Pennridge) and senior Max Perilstein (Glenside, Pa. | Cheltenham Township) picked up an 8-6 decision at second doubles to give W&J an early 2-1 advantage. Freshman Cole Hartman (Pittsburgh, Pa. | Shady Side Academy) earned a 6-2, 6-1 win at fourth singles to give W&J a 3-1 lead before a 6-1, 6-4 win by senior Josh Hnat (Dubois, Pa. | Dubois) at sixth singles pushed the lead to 4-1. Bellini clinched the 5-1 match victory with a 6-2, 6-0 win at second singles. Grove City (11-9) earned its point at third doubles with an 8-5 victory by sophomore Alex Kidd (Homeworth, Ohio | West Branch) and junior Edward Doyle (Tampa, Fla. | Paideia School). Earlier in the day, third-seeded Saint Vincent College (13) claimed a 5-2 victory over fourth-seeded Bethany College (11-6) in the championship tournament's third-place match. Saturday’s third-place and championship matches were hosted by W&J and played at its on-campus Janet Swanson Tennis Center. With its team title, W&J secured the PAC’s automatic qualifying bid (Pool A) to the NCAA Division III Championships. Team selections for the Division III Championships are scheduled to be announced Monday, May 6 with the first, second and third rounds slated for Thursday-Sunday, May 9-12. 2019 PAC Men's Tennis Championship Tournament Tuesday, April 23 Result 4 p.m. Quarterfinal (8) Thiel at (1) W&J Washington, Pa. W&J 5-0 3:30 p.m. Quarterfinal (7) Westminster at (2) Grove City Grove City, Pa. Grove City 8-1 1 p.m. Quarterfinal (6) Geneva at (3) Saint Vincent Greensburg, Pa. Saint Vincent 9-0 Wednesday, April 24 4:30 p.m. Quarterfinal (5) Waynesburg at (4) Bethany Bethany, W.Va. Bethany 5-4 Friday, April 26 1 p.m. Semifinal (1) (4) Bethany vs. (1) W&J Greensburg, Pa. W&J 5-0 4 p.m. Semifinal (2) (3) Saint Vincent vs. (2) Grove City Greensburg, Pa. Grove City 5-4 Saturday, April 27 11 a.m. Third-place (4) Bethany vs. (3) Saint Vincent Washington, Pa. Saint Vincent 5-2 2 p.m. Championship (2) Grove City vs. (1) W&J Washington, Pa. W&J 5-1