ST. PETER, Minn. — Mike Lunka (Eagan, Minn.) kicked off his collegiate tennis career in impressive fashion Friday, as the Saint Mary’s University freshman picked up back-to-back singles wins during the opening day of the Wilson/ITA Midwest Regional.
Lunka made quick work of Augustana’s Will Palmer in his collegiate debut, winning 6-2, 7-5, then followed that up with a three-set, 6-4, 3-6, 10-4 triumph over Luther’s Max Peipkorn to earn a spot in the Round of 32. Sammy Ramoni put an end to Lunka's round, however, beating the SMU freshman 6-1, 6-1.
SMU’s Pawel Szczepkowski (Opolskie, Poland) and Jack Schway (Mendota Heights, Minn.) didn’t fare as well as their freshman teammate, as Szczepkowski was beaten 6-1, 6-1 by Matt Whiteside of Carthage and Schway fell to UW-Whitewater’s Kyle Halleg 6-2, 6-4 in the opening round.
The Cardinals' trio of Justin Loeffler (Winona, Minn.), Robert Steingraeber (La Crosse, Wis.) and Andrew Rangitsch (Oakdale, Minn.) did have much luck in the Gustavus Midwest Open, as all three were ousted in their opening match. Loeffler fell 6-2, 6-2, while Steingraeber lost 6-2, 4-6, 10-5, and Rangistch faltered 6-1, 6-0.
This year’s Wilson/ITA Men's Division III Championships features 26 of the top small-college tennis programs in the region. More than 175 of the top singles and doubles players in the Midwest will take part in the three-day tournament. The singles and doubles champions from this weekend's tournament advance to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Small College Championships, which will take place at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama on Oct. 15-18.