WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Jake Cappel, a Whitman College sophomore from River Forest, Ill., has been named Northwest Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Week.
Cappel, ranked No. 13 regionally in singles (NCAA Div. III), won each of his four singles matches last weekend. Two of his victories came Sunday as Whitman split decisions with two NCAA Div. I opponents. With Whitman beating Portland State 5-2, Cappel rallied past junior Adam Blackner 6-7 (7-3), 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) in No. 4 singles. In Whitman's 4-2 loss to the University of Portland, Cappel picked off another win at No. 4 singles, beating freshman Evan Schleining 6-3, 6-3.
On Saturday, Cappel contributed to a pair of Whitman victories over NWC opponents. He won 7-5, 6-2 in No. 2 singles in a 9-0 shutout at Willamette, and came back later in the day to post a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 3 singles in Whitman's 7-2 victory at Linfield.
Cappel is now 9-1 in singles this season against NWC opponents. He and his doubles partner, sophomore Nadeem Kassam (Vancouver, B.C.), are 5-1 in doubles against conference foes.
Splitting its roster in two, Whitman played a total of six matches last weekend in the Portland area, winning five of them.
Ranked No. 18 nationally and No. 4 in the west region, Whitman is 17-9 on the season, which includes a 14-0 mark in the NWC. With victories this Saturday against Puget Sound and April 12 against Lewis & Clark, Whitman can post its second consecutive undefeated conference season.
Whitman hosts Puget Sound this Saturday in its final home match of the season. The match gets started at 1 p.m. on the outdoor courts, or in the Bratton Tennis Center in the case of inclement weather.
Cappel, a graduate of Oak Park & River Forest High School, is the second member of the Whitman men's team to earn Player of the Week honors in the past six weeks. Sophomore Matt Solomon (Los Gatos, Calif.), who plays No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles, has received the weekly honor twice this season.
Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
(509) 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu