University of Chicago Maroons men's tennis team wins first ever NCAA Division III title
ORLANDO (CBS) -- Last week, we told you about the University of Chicago's quest for NCAA Division III titles in both men's and women's tennis.
"UChicago has never won a team NCAA title, so I'm all about making history, and I really want to make history for this school," Maroons tennis star Christian Alshon told CBS 2's Jackie Kostek last week.
Unfortunately, the women's team lost the final match. But we're happy to report that Alshon got his wish – and earned it.
The men's team won it all 5-2 on an ace by Alshon over Case Western Reserve University for their first-ever national championship.
The Maroons ended their season with a winning streak of 15 matches, and a record-setting 22-1 overall record.
"Today's championship is the culmination of many years of hard work by our current players and those that came before them," Head Coach Jay Tee said in a news release. "We dealt with some adversity early in the year as we were forming our culture and identity, but the men responded well to every challenge put in front of them. Today, we focused not on playing for a championship or an opponent but instead just focused on the ball in front of us – the same one we've all hit a million times in our careers. The last three days, and the entire season, has been a complete team effort. While Christian provided the heroics the past two days, he and his teammates put him in the position to deliver in the clutch, which he did. I'm just so thrilled to share the court with this group of men and it is truly a privilege to be their coach. It's the best group of young men I could ever ask to be associated with."