FRESNO, Calif. — Highlighted by a historic doubles championship run and remarkable individual performances from its incoming class, the Westmont men’s tennis team delivered an unforgettable showing at the ITA Division II West Regional over the weekend at Fresno Pacific University.

The centerpiece of the tournament came in the main doubles draw, where Austin Stone and JD Drake captured the ITA D-II West Regional Doubles Championship, punching their ticket to the inaugural ITA Division II Singles & Doubles Championships in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, set for November 4–8.

The victory marks Westmont’s first ITA Regional doubles crown since transitioning to NCAA Division II, and the program’s first overall since 2013 during its NAIA era. 

“Winning the ITA doubles and qualifying for the national tournament is huge—these guys are on a roll,” said Westmont Head Coach Chris Elwood. “This is their 10th match win in a row, remaining undefeated on the year. They won a hidden dual up in Fresno, won the Flight C tournament at the Gaucho Classic against D-I opponents, and now five in a row here to win the ITA against several strong teams, including the top seeds.”

The championship victory was defined by dramatic flair. Facing Hawaii Pacific’s Ethan Terry and Seth Newman in the finals, Stone and Drake fell behind 1–5 in the opening set.

Showing remarkable composure, the Warrior duo rattled off six consecutive games to claim the set 7–5. After dropping a tight second set 4–6, Stone and Drake dominated the super tiebreaker 10–5 to seal the regional title.

“The finals match was dramatic,” Elwood recalled. “Down 1–5, in a rare comeback from that position, our team won six straight games to seal out the first set 7–5 against a very tough Hawaii Pacific team. We dropped the second set, but played a terrific super breaker to seal the win 10–5. Just an amazing blend of power in their games and strong all-around doubles.”

For Stone, a Carpinteria native, the victory marks a triumphant return after missing 14 months of competition.

“This is a bigger journey when you think through Austin’s comeback,” Elwood emphasized. “He had a year off due to injury, endured a long road back, and we didn’t even know if he would be able to participate in this tournament until a few weeks ago.

“For him to win it and do it in such style is just a wonderful start to his final year here. It shows his resilience as a person and a player. JD Drake has been so steady right alongside him through all 10 matches, and we’re excited to see what they can do on the national level.”

In the singles draw, Westmont freshmen made immediate waves. Solon Au delivered one of the tournament’s biggest upsets, taking down the overall number-one seed in straight sets (6–3, 7–5) to advance all the way to the Round of 16.

“Solon upsetting the number-one seed in straight sets as a freshman was pretty amazing,” Elwood praised. “I’m really proud of Solon as he continues to get stronger each week in practice. He is showing great promise for the future.”

Fellow freshman Brandon Hsiung earned his first career tournament victory in thrilling fashion, battling back to defeat Biola’s Keyon Gahvarehchi in a third-set super tiebreaker (7–6 [3], 7–6 [4], [10–7]). Meanwhile, veteran Driss Sedrati recorded a pair of strong straight-set victories to reach the Round of 16 before falling to the eventual tournament champion.

“Brandon showed great fight to take out a strong Biola player in a super breaker for his first win,” added Elwood. “And Driss, our veteran who brought great leadership into his final year, played valiantly through three rounds before losing to the eventual champion. I’m very proud of his efforts.”

Stone and Drake now turn their attention to national postseason competition, where they will represent Westmont at the ITA Division II Individual National Championships at the Tuscaloosa Tennis Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, from November 4–8.