TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The FGCU men's tennis team continued play at the Bedford Cup, Saturday on the campus of Florida State.
The duo of
Magnus Johnson (Naples, Fla.) and
Max Damm (Bradenton, Fla.) advanced to the semifinals to highlight the day for the Green & Blue, defeating the top-seeded pair out of FAU, Joao Graca and Finn Stodder, 8-5 in the quarterfinals.
"I'm really proud of this group today," said head coach
CJ Weber. "I honestly felt like we were the best competitors out there of all of the teams competing. Every single one of the guys were ready to fight hard today. I wish we could get a couple of those matches back; but the guys did great, and if we continue to compete like that, we're going to be really tough to beat in the spring. We'll focus on doubles tomorrow. Max and Magnus have a great opportunity, and I'd love for Eric and Gug to go after their chance at a backdraw championship."
Marcelo Sepulveda (Monterrey, Mexico) and
Randy Wilson (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) also played in the doubles quarterfinals, but fell to the No. 3 seed team of Kevin Huempfner and Hunter Robbins, also of FAU, 8-2.
In singles, Johnson picked up a win in the quarterfinals, defeating Lucas Olivier of Stetson, 6-4, 6-1. In the semifinals against No. 1 seed Jamie Connel of Florida State, he forced a third set after dropping the first, but ultimately fell, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
Guglielmo Stefanacci (Prato, Italy) also looked to advance to the semifinals but fell in straight sets to Connel.
In the extra matches of the day,
Eric Oncins (Orlando, Fla.) and Wilson each picked up straight-set victories. Oncins and Stefanacci will both continue tomorrow as they look for a backdraw championship.
Saturday Results
Quarterfinals
#123 Magnus Johnson (FGCU) def. Lucas Olivier (Stetson), 6-4, 6-1
Jamie Connel (FSU) def.
Guglielmo Stefanacci (FGCU), 6-3, 6-4
Semifinals
Jamie Connel (FSU) def.
#123 Magnus Johnson (FGCU), 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
Saturday Additional Matches
Eric Oncins (FGCU) def. Sami Ozzor (Stetson), 6-2, 7-5
Maks Silagy (FSU) def.
Max Damm (FGCU), 7-5, 6-7 (5), 10-4
Randy Wilson (FGCU) def. Javier Llinares (Troy), 6-1, 6-3
Doubles
Johnson/Damm (FGCU) def. Graca/Stodder (FAU), 8-5
Huempfner/Robbins (FAU) def
. Sepulveda/Wilson (FGCU), 8-2
For complete coverage of FGCU men's tennis, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_MTen and online at
www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU men's tennis or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting
www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
CJ WEBER
FGCU is led by three-time ASUN Coach of the Year
CJ Weber, who has coached 32 ASUN All-Conference selections since joining the Green and Blue in 2011. In his 12th year, Weber has compiled a 123-95 (.564) overall record and a 51-19 (.729) record in ASUN play. In 2014-15, Weber guided the Eagles to their first-ever ASUN Championship and first-ever ASUN Regular Season title after a program-best 17 wins. In his third season, Weber led Jordi Vives to a No. 35 national ranking, a nation-leading 14-match unbeaten streak and the round of 32 in the 2014 NCAA Tournament - the program's first appearance. The Eagles completed a perfect ASUN regular season in both 2015 and 2016, finishing with conference titles as well as a Coach of the Year honor for Weber. FGCU again won the 2017 ASUN Championship and made its second NCAA appearance. The Eagles returned to the mountaintop by claiming the 2019 regular season and tournament championships. Weber earned his third ASUN Coach of the Year honor and led the Green and Blue to their third trip to the NCAA Tournament. In 2022, Weber led the Eagles to another ASUN regular-season title while reaching #65 in the ITA rankings, the highest in program history.
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence.
Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (
www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (
www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit
www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 92 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 15 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11 seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 45 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn at at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as four of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 26 consecutive semesters. The past five semesters (Fall 2019 - Spring 2022) saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher cumulative team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
