10-Year Celebration: UMAC Men's Tennis All-Decade honors
ST. PAUL, Minn.---As part of its 2018-19 "10-Year Celebration," the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) named six individual athletes to the UMAC Men's Tennis All-Decade Team and selected a Coach of the Decade and the Men's Tennis Team of the Decade, the conference announced Thursday.
The six individuals named to the All-Decade Team include Keagan Blancke (University of Northwestern, 2010-13), Jacob Engelstad (College of St. Scholastica, 2009-12), David Knight (Northwestern, 2011-13), Josh Stainer (St. Schoalstica, 2013-16), Dillon Sterle (St. Scholastica, 2009-10*) and Serhii Tykhonenko (St. Scholastica, 2017-Present*). The UMAC also recognized St. Scholastica head coach Wells Patten as the Coach of the Decade and the 2017 St. Scholastica team as the Men's Tennis Team of the Decade.
All-Decade Team
Keagan Blancke, University of Northwestern (2010-2013)
Blancke helped lead Northwestern tennis to four successful years in the UMAC finishing as runner-up in each of his years as an Eagle. During that span, Blancke was a four-time All-UMAC First Team selection. He inked his name in the Northwestern record books as well with the current top mark for career singles wins (57) and career doubles wins (58). Blancke is also tied for second in doubles wins in a season (18).
Jacob Engelstad, College of St. Scholastica (2009-2012)
Engelstad kicked off the Saints' decade of dominance as one of the top players in UMAC and program history. He was a four-time All-UMAC First Team performer and captured the 2012 Player of the Year nod. He is third all-time in St. Scholastica history for singles wins (61) and total wins (115) between doubles and singles. Of Engelstad's career wins, 53 came at the No. 1 flight and 40 at the No. 2 flight.
David Knight, University of Northwestern (2011-2013)
In just three seasons played with the Eagles, Knight helped lead Northwestern to three UMAC runner-up team finishes and marked his named in the program record book. Knight was a three times selected All-UMAC First Team and was the 2011 and 2013 UMAC Player of the Year. He is second all-time at Northwestern in career doubles wins (48) and tied for second in doubles wins in a season (18).
Josh Stainer, College of St. Scholastica (2013-2016)
Stainer is one of the top players in St. Scholastica's storied history and finished as one of the most decorated tennis athletes in the UMAC. He was a four-time All-UMAC First Team pick and earned Player of the Year in three-straight seasons (2014-16). At St. Scholastica, Stainer owns the most career doubles wins (66) and is second in total wins (116). He also owns the most Saint wins at No. 1 singles (46) and No. 1 doubles (64).
Dillon Sterle, College of St. Scholastica (2009-2010*)
Sterle was a four-time all-conference performer for the Saints including twice in the NCAA era. Twice in his career Sterle was named the UMAC Player of the Year including the 2009 season. Sterle helped lead the Saints to four conference titles while marking his spot in the Saint records. He finished with 29 career victories at No. 1 singles and ranks in the Saints' top 10 for singles wins.
Serhii Tykhonenko, College of St. Scholastica (2017-Present*)
In just two seasons, Tykhonenko has been an impact player leading the Saints to back-to-back regular season titles. Tykhonenko has twice been named All-UMAC First Team and UMAC Player of the Year. He also was the first player in program history to be ranked individually in the region (No. 24 - 2017) and advanced to the quarterfinal of the ITA Midwest Regional – another program first.
Coach of The Decade
Wells Patten, College of St. Scholastica
Patten has served as the Saints' head coach since 1999 and led the men's program to 22 regular season and 17 tournament titles. During the NCAA era, the Saints won all 10 regular season championships and did not lose a regular season conference match. They also collected eight UMAC tournament titles. Additionally, under Patten's guidance, the Saints earned seven UMAC Player of the Year awards.
Team of The Decade
College of St. Scholastica, 2017
The 2017 St. Scholastica men's tennis team went 20-1 overall and set a program record for best winning percentage and fewest losses in a season. The Saints went 8-0 in conference play to win the regular season title before going on to take the tournament championship. Five players were named All-UMAC and the team was ranked regionally for the first time in program history. The only loss was a 5-4 decision to Luther College. The team members were Brendan Boudreau, Trace Combs, Logan Engelstad, Bryce Gadke, Makar Grytsevych, Chad Hietala, Elliot Kazlauskas, Jason Kent, Zach Mielke, Ernesto Telles, Caleb Thill and Serhii Tykhonenko. Head coach was Wells Patten.
*Only seasons a student-athlete competed during the 10-Year timeframe (2009-2018 for men's tennis) in the UMAC are listed.
Throughout 2018-19, the UMAC will recognize individual athletes and one coach for each conference sport on All-Decade Teams and name one team as Team of the Decade. Individuals and teams were nominated by UMAC full and associate member institutions and the teams were selected by a committee of administrators and coaches from the UMAC. The All-Decade recognition is part of the UMAC "10-Year Celebration" commemorating the first 10 years of NCAA Division III membership for the UMAC.
All-Decade Team Archives
"10-Year Celebration" Page