As the Hillsdale men's tennis team has opened up the 2022-23 campaign with a 3-1 start in dual matches, junior Sean Barstow has played an important part.
Another solid weekend for Barstow this past Friday and Saturday has earned the junior recognition from the G-MAC offices on Monday afternoon, as Barstow was named the G-MAC Men's Tennis Player of the Week. It's his first time receiving the award this season, and the second weekly conference honor of his career.
Barstow had a solid performance in Hillsdale's 7-0 loss to regional power Ferris State on Friday, coming the closest of any Charger to pulling out a victory against the loaded Bulldogs at No. 5 singles. Barstow pushed Ferris' Alessandro Santangelo to a third-set tiebreak before falling by a razor thin margin, 11-9 in the decider.
The junior also played a critical role in helping the Chargers bounce back with an impressive win over Lewis, 6-1, the next day. Teaming with Brennan Cimpeanu at No. 1 doubles, Barstow got into another lengthy tiebreak against the Flyers, but this time he and his partner came out on top, winning a 9-7 tiebreak to secure the doubles point for the Chargers.
The momentum from that victory carried over to Barstow's singles play, as the junior took down Lewis' Oliver Wierzbicki 6-3, 7-5 in straight sets to pick up a big point for the Chargers.
Now in his third season at Hillsdale, Barstow has been an important player for the Chargers throughout his career, earning All-G-MAC honors in each of his first two seasons and contributing heavily to Hillsdale's 2020-21 G-MAC title in his freshman year. He's also reached unprecedented heights in doubles for the Chargers with Cimpeanu, earning a runner-up finish in the 2021 ITA Midwest Regional, playing in two ITA Cups and earning a national ranking in the top 15 in the nation as a doubles pairing at one point last season.
Barstow and the Chargers will look to maintain their momentum with another busy weekend coming up, starting with a trip to Chicagoland to play Purdue Northwest on Saturday.
Photo by Isabella Sheehan