This year in Pac-12 tennis
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - The Pac-12 swept the NCAA team championships this year as USC claimed the men’s title and UCLA won the women’s title, giving the Conference its 467th and 468th national championships all-time. It marked the Pac-12’s 54th men’s tennis title and the 21st women’s tennis title, as well as the 12th time that two Conference teams have won both championships, the last time being 2010. The Conference also saw an individual champion as UCLA’s Marcos Giron won it all in the NCAA singles championship for the Bruins’ 11th individual title.
On the men’s side, USC captured the university’s 100th NCAA championship, knocking off second-seeded Oklahoma in the final match. The Trojans went 32-3 overall with a perfect 7-0 mark in Pac-12 play. USC has now won five men’s tennis championships in the past six years as well as 21 overall, which is the most of any team all-time. UCLA’s Giron was one of seven Pac-12 players in the individual tournament, picking up the singles title after dropping just one set in all of his matches in the tournament.
For the women, UCLA fought down to the wire in a 4-3 victory over North Carolina for the program’s second NCAA title and the 111th NCAA title in UCLA history. The 111 championships for the Bruins are the most of any program all-time. UCLA finished the season with a 27-2 record and a 9-1 mark in Conference play, as well as a perfect 15-0 record in home matches. In the individual tournament, CALIFORNIA’s Lynn Chi finished as the national runner-up, upsetting the top-ranked singles player to advance to the championship match.
The Pac-12 Tennis Championships took place in Ojai, Calif., and saw UCLA win the men’s team title, while Bruin freshman Jennifer Brady won the women’s singles championship and the USC duo of Kaitlyn Christian and Giuliana Olmos took home the women’s doubles championship. The UCLA men upset top-seeded and Conference rival USC to win its second-consecutive Pac-12 title with a final score of 4-2.
The Pac-12 men’s tennis coaches voted USC’s Yannick Hanfmann the Singles Player of the Year, while the duo of Hanfmann and teammate Ray Sarmiento was named the Doubles Team of the Year. UCLA’s Mackenzie McDonald took home Freshman/Newcomer of the Year honors and Bruins head coach Billy Martin was tabbed Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year.
The women’s coaches voted UCLA’s Robin Anderson as the Singles Player of the Year, and teammate Jennifer Brady was named Freshman/Newcomer of the Year. Anderson and Brady also took home Doubles Team of the Year accolades. California’s Amanda Augustus earned Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year honors.