AASU, GCSU Men's Tennis Players Advance to Fall Championships

Players from Armstrong Atlantic State and GCSU captured singles and doubles titles at the ITA Southeast Regional which concluded play in Sumter, S.C. The winners will advance to the 2008 ITA National Small College Championships in Mobile, Ala., Oct. 16-19.

Armstrong Atlantic State freshmen Edualdo Bonet captured the ITA Southeast Regional singles titles on Monday at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, S.C. Head coach Simon Earnshaw has coached the region champion in singles now in consecutive seasons as Bonet joins Robert Jendelund (2007) as a champion for the Pirates.

Bonet, a freshman from Barcelona, Spain, advanced to the singles final with a 6-4, 6-4 win over teammate Paul Bishop. A 9-16 seed in the draw, Bonet then defeated No. 4 seed Bruno Seves of USC Aiken, 6-0, 6-2, in the final. Making his Pirate debut, Bonet will now compete against the other seven DII regional singles winners in the Small College National Championships in Mobile.

For the first time in 16 years, the Georgia College & State University men’s tennis program has a fall region title-winner, as seniors Justin Pickham and Erick Siqueira won the A-Draw Doubles Championship at the ITA Southeastern Regional Championships.

The Bobcat duo was the No. 4-seed, picking up two more wins to take the Region Championship. The last time Georgia College won this title was 1992, when Lars Lindblom and Jonas Frisk teamed to win the then Rolex Division II Southern Doubles Championship.

Pickham and Siqueira will now receive a bid to play in the Super Bowl of Small College Tennis for the National Championship.