The Midwest Conference Championships were held at UW-Madison’s Nielsen Tennis Stadium last weekend. Grinnell wrapped up its fifth consecutive win, but Lawrence sophomore Ryan Dunn claimed the top singles fight with a 6-1, 7-6 (0-6) win, beating Grinnell junior Dan LaFountaine who lost his third in a row in the finals. Dunn, who is from Fond du Lac, Wis., is just the fourth player in Lawrence history to win a Number 1 singles title at the Midwest Conference Championships.
The last Lawrence player to win the honor was Pat Kenny in 1968. Dunn avenged a previously lost match to LaFountaine, and he had to go three sets in both the quarterfinals and semifinals. He beat Monmouth College’s Kyle Korb 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals, and then he came back to best Knox’s Jared Katchen 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals.
Junior Dan Hertel also reached the championship semifinals at Number 3 before falling to Lake Forest College’s Jon Flaksman 6-4, 6-4.
Juniors Travis Fondow and Kyle Nodarse were eliminated in consolation semifinals and junior Nick Dufficy lost in the championship quarterfinals at Number 2 singles. Sophomore David Klaus won the consolation title at Number 6 with a 10-8 win over Carroll College’s Adam Knoelke.
Dunn did not fare as well in the doubles competition. The Number 1 team of Dunn and Hertel fell in a three-set match to Monmouth’s Kevin Kamenjarin and Korb 6-2, 4-6, 7-6.
Fondow and junior Lincoln Thomas advanced to the consolation semifinals at Number 2 doubles before being eliminated. Dufficy and Nodarse lost at Number 3 doubles to Lake Forest’s Joe Campagna and Chris Paterakos in the Championship semifinals 6-2, 6-3.
Dunn wins No. 1 singles
