MEADVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - Allegheny College, the top seed and defending conference champion, defeated visiting Grove City College 5-1 Saturday evening at the Robertson Tennis Complex to win the 2024 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Men's Tennis Tournament Championship for the Gators's second league crown in as many seasons since returning to the PAC.

In addition to being their second in a row, the title is the sixth in program history for the Gators. This marks the second time Allegheny has put back-to-back championships together, as the program won three PAC crowns in a row from 1980-82.

Allegheny (15-5) jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the championship match following doubles play. The first decision went to the Gators at #1 doubles when junior Anton Hedlund (Hovas, Sweden/Katrinelundsgymnasiet) and sophomore David Rodriguez (St. Ann's, Trinidad & Tobago/Fatima College) won 8-1 at first doubles. Grove City (13-7) countered with an 8-2 victory at third doubles by senior Collier Kaufman (Lowell, Mich./Lowell) and sophomore Benjamin Jones (Clayton, N.C./Clayton).

Allegheny would take the lead into singles with the win at #2 doubles, an 8-5 decision captured by junior Will Jarvie (Wilton, Conn./Wilton) and sophomore Benedek Kaibas (Salgótarján, Hungary/Mikszáth Kálmán Gimnázium).

Shortly after singles competition began, a brief rain shower paused the match for a little over an hour. Once the rain ceased and courts dried, Allegheny would quickly wrap up the title with three wins. The first came from Hedlund by a 6-3, 6-2 decision at first singles, which was followed by a 6-3, 6-1 win at fourth singles by Kaibas.

The final win for the championship came a short time later when Rodriguez was a 6-2, 6-2 winner at second singles to finish off the Gators' repeat. It also sends Allegheny back to the NCAA Tournament for the second time as a team in program history, as the program receives the conference's automatic-qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.

Allegheny's Hedlund would be named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament after the final match, the second straight year he's earned that honor. He was joined on tthe All-Tournament Team by Jarvie and Rodriguez.

For Grove City, who finished as the runner-up for the second year in a row, Jones and Kaufman were recognized for their play with a spot on the All-Tournament Team. The entire All-Tournament Team is linked above.

Team selections for the Division III Championships will be announced on Monday, May 6 with first-, second- and third-round matches slated for Friday-Sunday, May 10-12.

The conference also released its Men's Tennis Sportsmanship Team, which can be seen at the link above. The PAC Sportsmanship Teams were established to recognize student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior and are an ongoing effort to recognize and encourage positive sportsmanship among all PAC teams.
 

2024 PAC Men's Tennis Championship Tournament
Tuesday, April 23
4:30 p.m.	Quarterfinal	#4 Franciscan 5, #5 Washington & Jefferson 0	Steubenville, Ohio
4 p.m.	Quarterfinal	#3 Saint Vincent 5, #6 Geneva 2	Latrobe, Pa.
Thursday, April 25
4 p.m.	Semifinal (1)	#1 Allegheny 5, #4 Franciscan 1	Meadville, Pa.
TBA	Semifinal (2)	#2 Grove City 5, #3 Saint Vincent 0	Grove City, Pa.
Saturday, April 27 Championship start time tentative
4 p.m.	Championship	#1 Allegheny 5, #2 Grove City 1	Meadville, Pa.