INDIANAPOLIS – Tournament action was the focal point of both men’s and women’s schedules as Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tennis Athletes of the Week awards were announced on Wednesday.
Men’s Athlete of the Week
Tyler Conrad
Hillsdale
Freshman
Midland, MI (Dow HS)
The Chargers, along with the majority of men’s programs in the conference, competed at the ITA Midwest Regionals hosted by Grand Valley State.
Results can be tricky to decipher as all three conferences are represented and the brackets are jam packed with names, but Conrad managed to stand out on his own as he made his way through the singles flight.
The freshman completed a long journey to win the B singles flight through a series of close matches, tiebreakers and three-set finals.
It was impressive as he went 6-0 in the bracket, ultimately beating Karl Henrichs from Missouri-St. Louis in the championship match, 4-6, 6-4, 10-7.
He started out in similar fashion, needing to rally back to defeat Drury’s Lukas Stierling to advance out of the opening round. Conrad then beat Ashland’s Jordan Phelps in straight sets and was on his way to defeating an opponent from Wayne State before he withdrew.
In the quarterfinals, he outlasted his foe from Bellarmine in straight sets and beat another competitor from UMSL in the semifinals.
Women’s Athlete of the Week
Mercedes Fernandez
Walsh
Senior
Sevilla, Spain (Istituto de Educacion a Distancia)
After the women’s teams competed in the ITA Regionals the week prior, Walsh continued tournament action, this team heading to the Northern Ohio Open.
With Tiffin also in the brackets, Fernandez was crowned champion of the A singles flight as she won three matches.
The all-conference performer won in straight sets for all three matchups, including a 6-3, 6-3, final score vs. a competitor from host UNOH.
In the doubles format with teammate Nicole Beidacki, Fernandez had a share in two more victories, 8-3 and 8-6.
Fernandez has now won three conference career weekly awards since Walsh became a member of the Great Midwest.