Gelawydiyos Haile, foreground, won the NJCAA championship for No. 6 singles. Jerel Pleasant, serving, was named conference Player of the Year. (Photo by David Tulis)
Georgia Perimeter College earned a sixth-place spot, and sophomore Gelawydiyos Haile won a national singles championship at the National Junior College Athletic Association men’s tennis championship tournament in Plano, Texas, in May.
GPC moved into the tie for sixth place in the final tournament standings when freshman Shem Alexis won the final match of the No. 3 singles consolation bracket.
Seeded No. 1 in No. 6 singles, Haile won handily 6-3, 6-3 over the flight’s second seed from Tyler Junior College (Texas). Tyler won the team championship.
“Gelawidyos has a great work ethic,” said GPC head coach Mohamed “Reda” Nait Omar. “It showed in each match, and he was disciplined and showed a lot of maturity. Very proud of him. He deserves it.”
Alexis lost his first match of the tournament but bounced back in the consolation bracket, advancing to the final match and winning it when his opponent withdrew.
“Shem competed well in the back draw and got us some points that were needed to finish where we did,” Nait Omar said.
With his national championship, Haile earned All-America status.
The Jaguars accomplished another team goal earlier in the season, defeating perennial power Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College 5-4 to win the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association championship in April.
GPC’s No. 1 singles player, Jerel Pleasant, received the GCAA Most Valuable Player award, and Nait Omar was selected Coach of the Year.
Sophomore Preston Samowitz provided the winning margin for the Jaguars, coming from behind to win the singles fifth flight, and then joining Eric Verdi to take the No. 3 doubles match that gave GPC the winning team point.
Georgia Perimeter controlled the singles flights, garnering victories from Samowitz, Pleasant (No. 1 flight), Shem Alexis (No. 3) and Haile (No. 6).
It represents the first conference championship for Jaguar men’s tennis since 2001. GPC won NJCAA national championships four consecutive years from 1998 through 2001.
With this year’s high finish at nationals, GPC has solidified its position as a national contender. Two years ago the Jaguars advanced to a No. 7 finish at the NJCAA national tournament, and the 2012 team finished in a third-place tie.
The Jaguars should have a solid core of veterans returning this year for their sophomore season—Pleasant, Alexis, Chris Clark, Tomas Ojeda and Patrick Hackling.
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