Source: San Diego Christian College
October 23, 2020 (Rome, Georgia) - The San Diego Christian College tennis program continued to make its mark on the national collegiate tennis scene at the 2020 ITA Cup National Championships that culminated in a National Championship title in men’s doubles by the Hawks’ Ivan Smith and Chris Papa.
In the opening set of Sunday’s championship match, Smith and Papa were unable to break the service of the Indiana Wesleyan team and the 5-7 first set loss put them quickly behind. The second set, however, featured a huge momentum swing in the Hawks favor. Through sheer determination during epic rallies and pinpoint returns of service, the determined duo battled back and flipped the script. They took charge of the match by breaking service twice to win the penultimate set 6-3. The momentum created in the second continued into the third set as well. In the end, the will of Ivan and Chris were too much for their opponents to break and they won the third set 6-3, capturing the National Championship title.
The path to the final was no easy feat for Smith and Papa who took down the No. 1 seeded team from Georgia Gwinnett in the semifinal on Saturday 6-2, 5-7, 10/6. The victory was the second national title for head coach, Jim Bodor’s program, and the second national championship in school history. It follows the 2018 women’s doubles title won by Sarah Urbanek and Nadine Geschke.
Athletic Director, Carolyn “C.P.” Peters had this to say, “We are very proud of the success that Ivan, Chris and the entire tennis program have had in recent years. (Coach) Jim Bodor has brought together two talented international squads that are not only standouts on the court, but in the classroom as well. In addition to the tennis success, ten of our tennis players were named ITA Academic All-American’s and were instrumental in contributing to our perfect “NAIA Champions of Character” score this past year. God has truly blessed our school with wonderful, young student-athletes.”
In addition to the success of Smith and Papa, eight total Hawk men and women qualified for the national championship tournament in singles and doubles. They earned the bids by nearly sweeping the entire ITA Regional Championships held the week prior at Barnes Tennis Center in Point Loma, CA.
Bio info:
- Name: Ivan SmithHometown: Chula Vista, CAHigh School: Hilltop High School
- Name: Chris PapaHometown: Cypress, CAHigh School: Cypress High School
Team Tournament Highlights:
- Ivan Smith & Chris Papa - Men’s Doubles National Champions
- Sarah Urbanek & Angela Rinaldi – Women’s Doubles Quarterfinalists
- Angela Rinaldi – Women’s Singles Quarterfinalist
- Chris Papa – Men’s Singles Quarterfinalist
- Eight Hawks players included in the ITA Cup National Championship field (4 women, 4 men)
