2021-22 ITA NCAA DII All-Americans
An unprecedented season has led to an unprecedented honor for the Hillsdale College men's tennis team's Brennan Cimpeanu.
The sophomore and 2021 ITA Midwest Regional Champion found out on Tuesday afternoon that he has become the first men's tennis player in Hillsdale College history to earn NCAA DII All-American honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, earning the recognition for his play in the 2021-22 season.
Cimpeanu earned the recognition from the ITA by finishing ranked 15th in the nation in singles at the NCAA DII level, posting a 18-5 record in singles play and earning first-team All-G-MAC honors for the second consecutive season. Four of Cimpeanu's five singles losses on the year came against nationally ranked players, with the fifth being a match where Cimpeanu was forced to withdraw before the conclusion with an injury. He also picked up several notable victories over ranked players, including wins over fourth-ranked Bruno Faletto of St. Leo, 22nd-ranked Nikolaj Talimaa of Indianapolis, and 26th-ranked Dom Spicer of Wayne State University. A seventh-place finish at the ITA Cup against the best players NCAA DII has to offer also factored in to Cimpeanu's ranking.
The most notable moment in Cimpeanu's 2021-22 season came in late September, when he won six straight matches against top competition in the Midwest Region to become the first ITA Midwest Regional champion in singles in program history. That huge accomplishment meant that Cimpeanu got to play in the fall-season-ending ITA Cup, the de facto individual national championship at the NCAA DII level with all of the top singles players from across the country. In that event, Cimpeanu upset third-seeded Marko Nikoliuk of Southern Arkansas and finished tied for seventh in the nation in singles.
While the All-American honor was primarily for his singles play, Cimpeanu also had a strong doubles season partnered with teammate and fellow sophomore Sean Barstow. The pair went 9-4 together in 2021-22, earned runner-up honors in the ITA Midwest Regional, and finished tied for 13th in the nation at the ITA Cup.
Cimpeanu has been a standout since he arrived on campus for the 2020-21 season. Playing at No. 2 singles for Hillsdale as a freshman, Cimpeanu was named the 2021 G-MAC Freshman of the Year and finished ranked in the Midwest Region. For his career to date, Cimpeanu is 35-8 in singles matches and 30-16 in doubles play, playing in the No. 1 or No. 2 position in every match.
The sophomore will return for Hillsdale in 2022-23, along with four of the other five regular players in the lineup in 2021-22, and the Chargers also return senior Brian Hackman from injury and bring in a strong freshman class to build what could be the best team in program history next year if health cooperates and everything comes together. Cimpeanu will look to build off his ranking and All-American status as well with two more years of eligibility remaining.
Photo Courtesy of Kentucky Wesleyan Athletics