The Hillsdale College men's tennis team wrapped up a short but encouraging fall season with a strong showing at the annual ITA Midwest Regional event this past weekend, hosted by the University of Indianapolis.
Due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Midwest Regional had a smaller field than usual, with no GLIAC schools in attendance, but the event still included several heavy-hitters from the Midwest Region, including host and perennial title contender Indianapolis.
Against that competition, the Chargers played well, with all five of Hillsdale's entrants into the main singles draw reaching the Round of 16.
That included all three of Hillsdale's freshmen, who came to campus this August with a fair amount of excitement about their potential, and who have lived up to the hype so far.
Freshman Brennan Cimpeanu (Troy, MI/Troy) led the way for the Chargers by reaching the quarterfinals, beating both Cutter Sanders of William Jewell (6-0, 6-0) and teammate Brian Hackman (6-3, 6-4) in straight sets before falling to top-seeded Agustin Gascia of Indianapolis 6-1, 6-4 in a quarterfinal matchup.
Both Cimpeanu and Hackman (Island Lake, IL/Wauconda) also excelled in doubles, teaming up to reach the quarterfinals of the main draw with a thrilling 9-8 (3) tiebreak win over Spencer Blandford and Lucas Sakamaki of Southern Indiana. The pair lost to the top seed, Gascia and Renato Lima of Indianapolis, in a tight 9-7 match.
Hackman topped Mark Ivanov of Findlay in a 6-1, 6-2 match to reach the Round of 16 in singles and face off against Cimpeanu.
Along with Cimpeanu, freshmen Sean Barstow (Folsom, CA/Folsom) and Daniel Gilbert (Fort Wayne, IN/Homestead) also played well for the Chargers. Barstow pulled out a 7-6 (6), 6-1 win over Octavio Carrasco of Findlay to reach the Round of 16, before falling to Gascia of Indianapolis in a 6-3, 6-3 match.
Gilbert, meanwhile, bested Marvin Kromer of Southern Indiana, 7-5, 6-0 to reach the Round of 16 before falling to Menno Servaes of Illinois-Springfield in a 6-4, 6-3 match.
Last, but not least, sophomore Tyler Conrad (Midland, MI/Dow) beat Preston Cameron of Southern Indiana (6-3, 7-5) to reach the Round of 16 and took Indianapolis' Lima to the wire in a 6-4, 3-6, 10-4 loss.
With the end of the Midwest Regional, the Chargers' fall season draws to a close. Hillsdale's men's tennis team will continue training through the winter and be back to competitive action in February, with Great Midwest Athletic Conference matches scheduled to begin in March.
Photo: Brennan Cimpeanu, taken by Cody Wainscott/University of Indianapolis