MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- The Allegheny College men's tennis team earned a milestone victory on Friday morning with a 5-0 shutout win over Messiah College in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Division III Championships, hosted by Middlebury College.

The win marked the first-ever NCAA win for the Gators (16-5), who qualified for their second consecutive national championship by winning the 2024 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) crown.
The hosts, No. 7-ranked Middlebury Panthers, await Allegheny in the second round of the NCAA Championships on Saturday. The match is slated to begin at 10:00 a.m. and will be played outdoors at the Proctor Tennis Courts unless rain forces them indoors.

The Falcons (9-9), winners of the MAC Commonwealth's automatic bid, were no match for the Gators. Allegheny opened with three all three doubles wins to take a commanding 3-0 lead. The top duo of Anton Hedlund (Hovas, Sweden/Katrinelundsgymnasiet) and David Rodriguez (St. Ann's, Trinidad & Tobago/Fatima College) were the first to finish after taking down Chase Wilson and Timothy Scheaffer, the MAC Commonwealth Rookie of the Year, by an 8-3 score.

Every Gator won the first set of their singles matches, although only two were needed to clinch the first-round win. Reid Stasolla (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) made it 4-0 in favor of Allegheny by defeating Kyle Huang, 6-1, 6-2, in the sixth spot. Rodriguez then closed his second singles match with a 6-2, 6-0 win.

Although his match will officially go down as unfinished, Hedlund, who was announced as the 2024 PAC Player of the Year this afternoon, was playing for his match point when action ended. He swept Wilson in the first set, 6-0, and leading in the second, 5-1.

Doubles Results
1. Anton Hedlund / David Rodriguez def. Chase Wilson / Timothy Scheaffer, 8-3
2. Will Jarvie / Benedek Kaibas def. Luke Risser / Elijah Noll, 8-5
3. Guillaume Emiliano Loinard-Gonzalez / Reid Stasolla def. Carl Anderson / Zhenya Martin, 8-4

Singles Results
1. Anton Hedlund vs. Chase Wilson, 6-0, 5-1, unfinished
2. David Rodriguez def. Timothy Scheaffer, 6-2, 6-0
3. Will Jarvie vs. Luke Risser, 6-2, 3-2, unfinished
4. Benedek Kaibas vs. Elijah Noll, 6-3, 1-1, unfinished
5. Guillaume Emiliano Loinard-Gonzalez vs. Carl Anderson, 6-2, 4-1, unfinished
6. Reid Stasolla def. Kyle Huang, 6-1, 6-2

Up Next
Allegheny will face No. 7 nationally-ranked Middlebury in the second round of the regional tournament on Saturday, May 11, at 10:00 a.m.