TYLER, TEXAS – The University of Texas at Tyler men's tennis program heads out for their second tournament of their fall schedule as they take on the Trinity Invite in San Antonio, Texas.
THE 2022 SEASON
The 2022 season was one of the best in program history and easily the best of the Division II era. The Patriots battled through a tough schedule that saw them face five teams associated with the national poll.
UT Tyler got hot at exactly the right moment, winning three matches in the LSC tournament to claim their first Lone Star Conference Tournament title in program history. That run led to them being the number one seed at the NCAA South Central Region Tournament, where they hosted St. Mary's for a chance to go to the NCAA Round of 16.
The Patriots took down the Rattlers by a score of 4-0, and earned the programs first trip to the NCAA Tournament in the Division II era and the first trip overall since 2018.
COACH BIZOT RETURNS
This summer marked the return of head coach
Chris Bizot to the program after serving as the head coach of the newly revived women's tennis program at Angelo State from 2017-2022.
During his time with the Patriots previously, Bizot lead the men's and women's teams to a combined 16 conference championships, nine straight NCAA Division III tournament appearances, and he accumulated 19 ASC Coach of the Year awards.
BIG RETURNING PRODUCTION
The 2022-2023 roster will see the return of several key players from last seasons NCAA Tournament run.
Joaquin Bianchi,
Jonas Dixon,
Gonzalo Fernandez Gil,
Egor Shestakov, and
Yudai Watanabe each played a critical role last season on the LSC championship team, and all will return to play an even more critical role under coach Bizot.
THE FALL SLATE
The Patriots will battle it out in at least three tournament this fall as they take on the individual portion of the schedule. In collegiate tennis, the dual matches only take place in the spring, while the fall is reserved for individual tournaments.
UT Tyler fought it out in the Tyler Invite just a few weeks ago, and now they head down to San Antonio, Texas this weekend for the Trinity Invite. Following this weekend the Patriots will head to Wichita Falls, Texas on September 29-October 1 for the ITA Regional tournament.
A LOOK BACK
Back on September 3
rd and 4
th the team co-hosted the Tyler Invite and it gave them a chance to get right back into action following a successful spring season that saw them make the NCAA Tournament in their first season of Division II eligibility.
In singles, multiple players picked up wins and strong finishes in their flights. In doubles, the Patriots enjoyed even more success. The pair of
Gonzalo Fernandez Gil and
Joaquin Bianchi paired up to create a fearsome duo in the fall of 2021, and they started their 2022 campaign with a 2-1 record in Flight 1.
THE TRINITY INVITE
This weekend's competition will give the Patriots one final tune-up before they take on the ITA Regional tournament in a few weeks. The Trinity Invite will feature some strong programs and some familiar opponents for the Patriots.
Incarnate Word, Our Lady at the Lake, Trinity, and UT Tyler will make up the field this weekend. The matches will take place at the Butch Newman Tennis Center on the campus of Trinity and features eight courts.
NEXT UP
Following this weekend's Trinity Invite, the Patriots will have two weeks to rest and recover before the ITA South Central Regional tournament on September 29-October 1 that will feature teams from the Lone Star Conference and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
The stakes will be raised even higher, as the winners of the singles and doubles portion of the tournament will earn automatic bids into the ITA Cup. Additionally, eight at-large selections will also be made that will qualify into the ITA Cup to make the field 16 total players and teams.
