Whitman’s men’s tennis team earned the right to host the Northwest Conference postseason tournament this past weekend. The team finished first in the standings of the league’s regular season and is ranked 21st nationally.

Whitman is led by first team All-NWC selections senior Zach Hewlin and sophomore Ben Kirsh, who rank fourth and twelfth in the region, respectively.

“My senior season has been going great,” Hewlin said. “I will truly miss being a part of the program.”

Fellow senior and second team All-NWC performer Gary Ho is also closing out his tennis career at Whitman this season.

“My senior season has been going well so far,” Ho commented. “We’ve had many close matches with top-ranked teams this year and I feel like we are in great form right now.”

The team snatched a 5-1 victory over Lewis and Clark on Sunday to earn their 11th consecutive NWC title. This mark ties for the most consecutive conferences tournament championships in Northwest Conference history.

Hewlin and Ho both attribute much of their individual and team success to their Whitman teammates and coaching staff.

“My favorite part about playing for Whitman is the incredible support I get from my teammates and coaches,” Ho said. “They create a positive environment where I can develop and motivate others to improve.”

With eight seniors graduating after this season, the remainder of the team is going to have to keep the team success rolling moving forward.

Sophomore Ben Kirsh credits the team’s 2018 graduating class for the foundation of the squad, but also is very positive and hopeful looking at the future of the program.

“We are taking a loss losing eight seniors,” Kirsh said. “But having three sophomores in the starting lineup this year, along with many other strong players having the opportunity to play next year, we should be able to maintain the strength of the team.”

After making a mark on NWC history with 11 straight NWC championships, Hewlin credits coach Jeff Northam for such outstanding success.

“What he does for the program, the school and his players is unbelievable,” Hewlin said. “Being able to host the NWC tournament took a lot of stress off competing. We have played some of the top teams in the country, which prepared us for success in this weekend’s matches.”

Getting the opportunity to have postseason matches at Whitman has been a huge advantage for The Blues.

“Hosting the conference tournament was really nice,” Kirsh said. “We play our best tennis on our home courts, by far.”

The Blues are now waiting to see where they will head for the beginning of the postseason, as the NCAA Division III regional match location is still undetermined.

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Contributed by Gregg Petcoff