Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams at Colorado Mesa University (CMU) have shown improvement this season, as the men recorded three more wins than last season, while the women posted their first winning campaign since 2015.
The Maverick men finished their season with a record of 8-12, after opening the year with three straight losses. However, they shined during the Kearney Indoor Duals back in February, where they went 4-0. The last stretch of the season was filled with ups and downs, however, the team concluded the year with a 4-9 record.
“I think we’re doing pretty good. We got a lot of young freshmen, they’re learning a lot this year. They’re gaining experience [and] I think there’ll be a good group for us next year too,” assistant tennis coach David Smith said.
The coaches of the men’s team have expressed pride in their current team and how they have begun to turn the program around after seven seasons finishing at or below a .500 win percentage.
“We have four freshmen that saw significant playing time. The men have had some pretty tough matches, but we’ve also had some really good four-three wins, so, overall, we’re about where we thought we would be,” head coach Dan MacDonald said.
MacDonald hit a coaching milestone this year, recording his 200th men’s victory in his 18th season leading the team. His career-record for the men is now 208-256 and 269-204 on the women’s side.
Redshirt Junior Jandré Van Wyk has played 16 singles and 13 doubles this season. Van Wyk finished with a 9-7 solo record this year, which was the first time he recorded a winning record in his career.
“I set a goal for myself this season. I wanted to end up winning more matches individually than I have lost, and I reached that goal. At this point, I’m really happy about that,” Van Wyk said.
Redshirt junior Jorge Abreu, who has played 22 singles and 18 doubles, finished with the third most solo wins on the team with 11.
“[My favorite part of the season was] the road trips. I liked the group of guys and girls that we have on the team. Although we had to drive 14 hours [sometimes], they were fun,” Abreu said.
The women’s team finished their regular season at 13-11, which is their highest win total of the last 5 seasons, and the Maverick women finished on a three-game win streak over Colorado College, Colorado State University-Pueblo and Metro State University-Denver. The team qualified for the Pacific West Tournament, which will be held in Surprise, Arizona from April 19-22.
When asked about a special moment from this season, MacDonald mentioned redshirt junior Halle Romero’s role in upsetting MSUD on April 1, which was the Mavericks first win over the Roadrunners in their last 15 duals stretching back to 2016.
“[Romero] had a big win in doubles and she had a really big win in singles that helped clinch the match for us. […] She’s a hard working kid, the team captain, team mom, so to speak. She’s just a really neat person, and for her to get a win over Metro before her career comes to an end was really special,” MacDonald said.
Sophomore Macy Richards led the team with 15 solo wins this year and went 10-7 in doubles play. Richards expressed content with how the season played out for herself and the team.
“I feel like it’s turned out pretty well. We’ve had quite a few conference wins that we didn’t have last season, which is really nice. And sitting at a [winning] record makes me happy, because it’s not losing” Richards said.
Paige Furin was one of five Mavericks who finished with a winning or an even record. The sophomore sits with a 12-11 mark. Furin reflected on some clutch performances she had this season.
“[We have done] a lot better than last year, I think I’ve been competing a lot better and able to work under pressure. There’s been a few times this year where my match has kind of been one of the last ones and [served] as a deal breaker. I’ve done pretty well with the pressure, which recently or previously in my career, had been trouble for me,” Furin said.
The women look to impress at the conference championships April 19-22. Last time around, they were bounced just before the quarterfinals, but with a stronger team this year, who knows how far the Mavericks can go. Fans can track CMU’s results on https://cmumavericks.com/sports/womens-tennis/schedule.
