JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU men's tennis team (15-8) captured the 2023 ASUN Men's Tennis Championship by defeating North Florida (16-7) 4-0 on Saturday afternoon at UNF Tennis Center.
The victory marks the fourth ASUN Tournament crown (2015, 2017, 2019) for FGCU, which entered the weekend as the top seed after clinching a share of the regular-season title. The Green & Blue now have nine overall ASUN crowns, winning the regular season in 2015, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023.
"Words cannot express how much gratitude I have for this moment," said FGCU head men's tennis coach
CJ Weber. "These guys have been on a crazy journey, for basically the last three years to get to this point and accomplish this goal. These guys made me believers in them as this year went on. I'm not ashamed to say that we were not favored to win it this year; but these guys showed how college tennis can be a true team sport, and by working as a team, the sum of its parts can be greater than the whole. I'm so proud of every single one of these guys!
"Back in November, we set a goal of making it where we would finish this season knowing that we were part of the most special team in the country … and I truly believe we accomplished that goal. Obviously we still have NCAAs, but this tournament title is so satisfying, and we are going to enjoy it so much. I can't be thankful enough for my assistant coach,
Felipe Escobar, for being an unreal support to me all year long. This is not possible without him … he maintained my sanity! And I'm so thankful for our entire support staff, so many to thank, and all of our fans and donors of the program. This is truly a special accomplishment, and FGCU is an amazing place!"
The Eagles advance to the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships, which begin May 17 at the USTA National Campus' Collegiate Center in Orlando, Fla. The 2023 NCAA Men's Championship Selection Show will air May 1 at 6:30 p.m. at NCAA.com.
Redshirt juniors
Magnus Johnson (
Naples, Fla./Homeschool/UCF) and
Randy Wilson (
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Miami Palmetto/Louisville) got the Eagles started with a 6-4 doubles victory at No. 1. Junior
Eric Oncins (
Orlando, Fla./Montverde Academy) and senior
Carter Bradford (
Wesley Chapel, Fla./Saddlebrook Prep/George Mason) then clinched doubles point with a 6-4 effort at No. 3.
Johnson, the three-time ASUN Player of the Year, wasted no time adding a second point in singles – winning 6-4, 6-4 at No. 1. FGCU then increased its advantage to 3-0 with a 7-5, 6-4 Oncins victory at No. 4.
Redshirt junior
Marcelo Sepulveda (
Monterrey, Mexico/Penn Foster/Alabama) rallied to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 at No. 2 – an effort that locked down the tournament title.
Sepulveda was named the ASUN Tournament MVP, and Bradford joined him on the All-Tournament Team.
Doubles Competition
1.
Magnus Johnson/Randy Wilson (FGCU) def. Jonas Hartenstein/Rodrigo Crespo (UNF) 6-4
2. PJ Kotan/Bruno Vietri (UNF) def.
Guglielmo Stefanacci/Marcelo Supelveda (FGCU) 6-2
3.
Eric Oncins/Carter Bradford (FGCU) def. Breno Marques/Andreas Scott (UNF) 6-4
Singles Competition
1.
Magnus Johnson (FGCU) def. Jonas Hartenstein (UNF) 6-4, 6-4
2.
Marcelo Supelveda (FGCU) def. Rodrigo Crespo (UNF) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
3. Matt Carroll (UNF) vs.
Randy Wilson (FGCU) 2-6, 7-5, 2-4, unfinished
4. Bruno Vietri (UNF) vs.
Guglielmo Stefanacci (FGCU) 2-6, 6-4, 5-6, unfinished
5.
Eric Oncins (FGCU) def. PJ Kotan (UNF) 7-5, 6-4
6. Breno Marques (UNF) vs.
Juan Lopez (FGCU) 4-6, 6-3, 5-2, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,5,2)
CJ WEBER
FGCU is led by four-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 138-103 (.572) overall record and a 59-20 (.746) 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. And in 2023, Weber's Eagles claimed a share of the ASUN regular-season crown and won the ASUN Tournament.
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#FEEDFGCU
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ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 98 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 15-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 48 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Nine FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (No. 20 in 2021-22 and No. 22 in 2022-23), baseball (No. 15 in 2023), beach volleyball (No. 20 in 2022), and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as five of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green & 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 3.67 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2022 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 27 consecutive semesters. The past seven semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 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.
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