Pratt Men's Tennis Wins NJCAA D1 Men's Tennis National Title
2026 NJCAA D1 Men’s Tennis All-Americans | 2026 NJCAA D1 Men’s Tennis National Championship
PLANO, TEXAS – For the first time since 1961, the Pratt Community College men’s tennis team has found itself alone at the top of NJCAA Tennis after winning its third NJCAA National Title in program history by outlasting Tyler Junior College across the five-day tournament held on the campus of Colin College in Plano, Texas, May 11-15.
Behind National Championship performances at number four and number five singles, along with number one doubles, the Beavers were able to score a total of 35 points over the course of the tournament to edge out Tyler Junior College’s 34.5 points to win their first NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Tennis title in program history. The National Championship for Pratt is the third NJCAA team National Title in school history, with all three National Titles coming in the sport of men’s tennis.
Also representing the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference at the 2026 NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Tennis Championships, Cowley College secured a fourth-place finish with 25 total points to finish one spot ahead of fifth-place Seward County, which earned 20 total team points. Barton Community College also competed throughout the tournament, scoring 14 total points for an eighth-place finish.
In total, the KJCCC had individual National Champions in three of the six singles flights, as well as the number one doubles flight, with Pratt’s Kenta Kawada (number four singles) and Tiann Clark Nelson (number five singles) being joined by Seward County’s Meryl Genevrier (number three singles) as individual National Champions. The lone doubles National Championship came from the Beaver duo of Sam Dinneen and Kenneth Rabinad Vila at number one doubles, with all five individuals earning first-team All-America status for their play throughout the tournament. National runner-up finishes by KJCCC student-athletes included Seward County’s Gaspard Bicrel-Bantegny (number one singles), Cowley College’s Dan Hosono (number two singles), as well as Pratt’s Edward Westfall (number six singles) and the doubles teams of Kawada and Thiofhi Tshivhase (number two doubles) and Daniil Blinov and Westfall (number three doubles), all earning second-team NJCAA All-America honors.
Kawada’s National Title at number four singles came as the sophomore did not drop a single set during the tournament, defeating Weatherford College’s Benjamin Asker 6-2, 6-2 before earning a 5-1, 7-6 decision over Cowley College’s Wojciech Biela in the semifinal round. Taking on Eastern Florida’s Pablo Garcia in the championship match, Kawada picked up a 7-6, 6-2 win to finish off Pratt’s first individual National Title.
Entering the number five singles draw as the number two seed, Clark Nelson made quick work of Barton’s Esi Molefe with a 6-3, 6-1 victory before taking down number three seed Boitshepo Maake of Collin College by a score of 6-3, 6-1 to advance to the National Championship match. In the title match the following day, Clark Nelson dropped the opening set to top-seeded Alejandro Pardo of Tyler Junior College by a score of 6-2 before rebounding for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 three-set victory to claim the title at number five singles.
Pratt’s other individual National Title came on a trio of straight-set victories for the duo of Dinneen and Rabinad Vila as the number two seeded doubles team at number one doubles took down conference foe Gaspard Bicrel-Bantegny and Theo Cabre (Seward County) by scores of 6-3, 6-1 before defeating Cowley’s Dan Hosono and Haruki Okde 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals to advance to the championship match. Taking on Eastern Florida’s Fernando Martinez and Salva Mulet, another quick match from the Beaver doubles team led to a 6-3, 6-4 win to claim the final of three national championships for Pratt.
Seward County’s Genevrier made the most of earning the top seed in the number three singles draw, advancing in the quarterfinal round following a win by a score of 6-1, 6-4 over Collin College’s Philippe Dau before taking down Cowley’s Luca Laurindo 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals. Taking on Tyler Junior College’s Enrico Franchi in the finals, Genevrier earned a 7-6, 6-3 win to finish a perfect 3-0 in singles play at the National Tournament.
