GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – For the fourth straight season, the Western New Mexico University men's tennis team has won both the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships after defeating Colorado Mesa, 5-0, Sunday to with the 2013 RMAC Tournament.


Having played to a close 5-4 result earlier in the season in which Western New Mexico University (WNMU) came away with the win, this time the Mustangs were able to jump up early and never looked back. In doubles, WNMU swept, with Alvaro Nunez (Madrid, Spain/) and Francisco Damasio (Jundiai, Brazil/Centro Educational Sigma ) coming away with the biggest margin of victory in an 8-4 decision at No. 2. At the top flight, Rodrigo Almeida (Arapongas, Brazil/Nene Lourenco High School) and Juan Pablo Fuentes (Guadalajara, Mexico/) came through with clutch points down the stretch for an 8-6 win. At No. 3, Jorge Carretero (Asturias, Spain/) and Matthieu Covizzi (Noailly, France/) led early and held off a late charge for the 8-5 victory.


In singles, Almeida and Fuentes at the top two spots finished to end the match. Almeida fought through a first set tiebreaker to come away with the straight set win, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. Fuentes did exactly the same, muscling through a first set tiebreaker to win in straight sets, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. Covizzi was close to winning his match at No. 3 as he won the first set in a tiebreaker in the same score as the other two, 7-6 (7-4) and held a 5-4 lead in the second. Nunez won his first set at No. 4, 6-3 and after dropping the second, 2-6, he was tied at three in the third. Damasio lost the first set, 3-6 and came back to take the second, 6-2 and was trailing in the third, 1-5 at No. 5. In the final singles match, Roy Ulibarri (Dexter, NM/Dexter High School) dropped a tight first set in a tiebreaker, 6-7 (4-7) and was down in the second, 2-5.


With the win, WNMU will receive the automatic bid into the NCAA Championships that will take place this coming weekend. The NCAA selection show will air on Tuesday, April 23 to decide where everyone will end up. WNMU was fifth in the latest South Central rankings, with the top two hosting. Cameron and Abilene Christian entered as the top two respectively and Midwestern State is also in the mix after winning the Lone State Conference Tournament for a bid as they entered fourth in the rankings this week.