FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (June 16, 2021) – One break interrupted the Northern Arizona men's tennis season for more than two weeks just three matches into the regular season before another knocked the team out of competition for two weeks right before the Big Sky Conference Tournament began.
The season included just 14 regular season matches, with only four in Flagstaff. Three of those were played in a four-day span, leaving the Lumberjacks on the road for much of the season.
Through it all, they still brought a Big Sky Conference championship back from the tournament in Phoenix and reached the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in program history.
After starting the season 0-6 thanks in part to four matches against nationally-ranked competition, NAU broke through with its first win of the season against Sacramento State in California. The victory started a five-match win streak, including its sweep of a homestand against Seattle, Idaho State and Weber State. Earning 6-1 victories in each contest in Flagstaff, NAU put together an even more impressive performance upon its return to the conference tournament.
Sweeps of Portland State and Idaho State, each coming at 4-0 in Phoenix, sent NAU back to the NCAAs where they headed to Austin, Texas for a meeting with No. 4 Texas, the defending national champion.
The conference title also brought head coach
Maciej Bogusz his second straight Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year award, as the Lumberjacks' mix of freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors balanced out a roster that earned the conference title repeat.
NAU men's tennis is the fourth feature in NAU Athletics' Champions Week celebrating the department's national and conference champions. Be sure to follow Champions Week on
www.nauathletics.com and on social media on
Facebook,
Twitter and
Instagram.
FROM THE COACH
"I am so happy for the team that despite all the adversity we faced, we were able to embrace it, get better and come up on top. Our freshmen bought in to the program from day one and upper classmen stepped it up when we needed it the most, overall great team effort from the entire roster to keep the Championship in Flagstaff." – Head Coach
Maciej Bogusz.
2021 NAU MEN'S TENNIS BY THE NUMBERS
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For just the second time in program history, the Northern Arizona men's tennis team reached the NCAA Tournament. |
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The Big Sky Conference Tournament title was the third in program history, with the Lumberjacks first winning in 1997 before earning a second in 2019. |
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Five different Lumberjacks, Eban Straker-Meads, Chris Steele, Facundo Tumosa, Daniel Dillon and Maciej Ziomber, all earned All-Big Sky accolades following the Big Sky Conference Tournament. |
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Maciej Bogusz became the first NAU men's tennis coach to win Big Sky Coach of the Year twice, with his first award coming after the Lumberjacks' 2019 Big Sky Conference championship. |
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Seven members of the roster earned a Golden Eagle Scholar-Athlete award, including five underclassmen who earned the first honor of their career. |
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Maciej Ziomber finished his first season with the Lumberjacks at 11-4, winning 8 of his final 9 matches that were completed. |
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With their back-to-back Big Sky Conference championships, the Lumberjacks have won four straight matches at the tournament, all by the score of 4-0. |
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Adding three more victories in Flagstaff this season, NAU is now 38-2 in the Aquatic and Tennis Complex which opened in 2016. |
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NAU has also won 26 straight Big Sky Conference matches in Flagstaff going back to the 2014-15 season. |
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The Lumberjacks ended up with six matches scheduled against nationally-ranked opponents, though one was canceled due to weather-related travel delays. Along with a pair of matches against Arizona and one against Arizona State, NAU faced VCU during the regular season and the defending national champion Texas in the NCAA Tournament. |
