UPDATED BRACKET
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Azusa Pacific successfully defended its title at the PacWest Championships, winning 4-0 over No. 1 seed Hawai`i Pacific on Saturday at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Club as Tournament MVP Leyton Bohren clinched victory for the second time in a row.
The last time the PacWest Championships final was a shutout was in 2015 when Hawai`i Pacific defeated Azusa Pacific 5-0. This time, the teams switched roles as the Cougars became the first No. 3 seed in tournament history to lift the trophy.
Azusa Pacific got off to a fast start winning two of the doubles sets, 6-1, and then winning the first set on five of the six singles courts. It wasn't just a fast start, though. The Cougars never slowed down in what was arguably their best performance of the season, claiming the 4-0 win in under two hours.
Elias Emilio Walter and Miha Velicki got the Cougars going with a 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles. Then Jakub Beran and Benjamin Loccisano evened the match for the Sharks, winning 6-3 at No. 1 singles. At No. 3 doubles, Brody Bohren was inserted into the lineup and he partnered with Dylan Parsley to clinch the doubles point with a 6-1 win.
Miha Velicki made the score 2-0 with his 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles, breaking serve to win the match. Shortly after that, Marko Nikoliuk won at No. 1 singles 7-5, 6-3, beating Robin Sanz.
Hawai`i Pacific got just one set in singles when Loccisano, who received the PacWest Sportsmanship Award, won at No. 3 singles 6-2. However, Walter led in the second set 5-3 to prevent the Sharks from making any inroads.
Then Leyton Bohren got a break in the second set to take a commanding 6-4, 4-2 lead at No. 2 doubles against Jakob Beran. Bohren held his serve the rest of the way and clinched the match with his 6-4, 6-3 win.
Azusa Pacific has now tied Hawai`i Pacific's record for most wins in the winners' bracket in tournament history at 21. The Sharks are now 7-2 in PacWest Championship matches all-time, while the Cougars are 3-5. The PacWest final has featured at least one of these two teams every year since it was started in 2013.
Leyton Bohren will go down as one of the most successful players in tournament history. He has seven career singles wins, which is the third-most in tournament history, trailing only Hawai`i Hilo's Martin Soukal and Hawai`i Pacific's Benjamin Loccisano, who each have eight. However, unlike Soukal and Loccisano who each won one PacWest title, Bohren now has two, having clinched the trophy on both occasions.
Azusa Pacific has earned the PacWest's automatic bid into the NCAA postseason. Three other PacWest teams will advance to the regional stage, which will be hosted by the top-2 ranked teams by the NCAA ranking committee. The two winners will advance to the NCAA Division II National Championships, which will be held in Orlando, Florida this year.
Tournament MVP: Leyton Bohren, Azusa Pacific
Sportsmanship: Benjamin Loccisano, Hawaii Pacific
CHAMPIONSHIP
Azusa Pacific 4, Hawaii Pacific 0
THIRD PLACE
Point Loma 4, Concordia 0
FIFTH PLACE
Biola 4, MSU Denver 2
SEVENTH PLACE
Hawaii Hilo 4, Fresno Pacific 3
POINT LOMA 4, CONCORDIA 0
This third place match looked like it was going to be a war during doubles. Point Loma won, but the scores were 7-6 and 6-4, and the unfinished match was tied at 6-6. But in singles, the Sea Lions rolled. PacWest Player of the Year Andrew Leischner cruised on court one (6-2, 6-1), Andrew Suver won on court three (6-1, 7-5), and David Strassburger triumphed on court four (6-2, 6-3). Leischner now has five singles wins in his career at the PacWest Championships, joining his teammate Tyler Davis as two of 10 players to reach that milestone. Point Loma accomplished that without their number two, Tyler Davis, who sat out singles with an injury. Point Loma improved to 18-3 with the win.
BIOLA 4, MSU DENVER 2
The #5 Eagles slipped by #6 MSU Denver, by winning doubles and singles matches on courts two, three and four. Adrian Solorzano won at two (6-4, 6-2), Sebastian Herrera won at three (6-2, 7-6), and Antonio Rosales cruised on court four, 6-2, 6-1. The Roadrunners No. 1 Jean-Loup Auzias won a good match on court one over Alexey Prokopchuk, 6-4, 6-4, and Billy McDermott won at six for MSU Denver.
HAWAII HILO 4, FRESNO PACIFIC 3
In a battle between two pretty beat up teams, the Vulcans prevailed, 4-3. Hawaii Hilo took the doubles point and then captured wins on courts two (Filippa Di Perno), three (Joshua Liu) and five (Luka Petrikic). Ben Cronau won a competitive match for the Sunbirds on court one over Luca Mathiewetz (6-4, 7-6). FPU also secured wins on courts four (Sven Bangert) and six (Angel Espana).