CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The duo of sophomore Gregor Lainer and sophomore Patryk Garwacki made Salem Tennis history winning the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Atlantic Regional doubles championship, Sunday.

Lainer and Garwacki are the first duo in Salem history to win an NCAA ITA event. The tournament was hosted by West Virginia Wesleyan and played in Charleston, W.Va. as it included 16 doubles teams.

The duo defeated the No. 1 seed in the semi-finals as well as the No. 3 seed in the finals.

"Wow what a weekend for Gregor and Patryk. The three of us have been working on doubles ever since they came to Salem last January and it has paid off as they played flawlessly in doubles. I am so proud of the two of them. Sometimes I pull teeth on the practice court to get them to see my vision. They deserve all the credit for being coachable. Words can't describe how exciting it was for me to see all their hard work pay off," stated Men's Tennis Head Coach Todd Tucker. 

(16) Garwacki/Lainer (Salem) def. Morris/Kawabata (West Liberty) 8-4
(Qtrs.) Garwacki/Lainer (Salem) def. Morrison/Tye (Charleston) 8-6
(Semi) Garwacki/Lainer (Salem) def. No. 1 Spakovs/Lyudnovsky (W.Va.Wesleyan) 8-1
(Finals) Garwacki/ Lainer (Salem) def. No. 3 McIntosh/Garrido (W.Va. Wesleyan) 6-3 6-4
 
Lainer as well made singles history going further than any other Salem player in school history. Lainer made it to the semi-finals of singles before eventually bowing out. Lainer defeated three opponents including the No. 3 seed in the quarterfinals before eventually losing to the No. 5 seed in the semifinals. 

"Gregor played great tennis in every match and in very tough conditions. The heat was a monster on the court all weekend but my guys are in good shape. With guys overheating on the court all weekend I am very proud to say not one of my guys was affected by the heat. They just kept battling including Gregor. I can't say enough about Gregor as he was named co-captain earlier in the year and has done a great job leading on and off the court," Tucker continued about Lainer.
 
(32) No. 7 Lainer (Salem) def. Hawthorne (Fairmont State) 6-2 6-3
(16) No. 7 Lainer (Salem) def. Smith (Shepherd) 6-0 6-1
(Qtrs.) No. 7 Lainer (Salem) def. No. 3 Lyudinovskiy (W.Va. Wesleyan) 6-4 6-2
(Semi) No. 5 Garrido (W.Va. Wesleyan) def. Lainer (Salem) 6-4 6-3
 
Tucker added on Garwacki, "the Magician (Patryk) is a nickname I gave him last season as he is always finding a way to pull something out of his hat and once again he found a way. After defeating the No. 9 seed in the first round he had to face the No. 2 seed in the second round. The Magician was down a set against one of the best players in the region and all of the sudden his drive and determination brought him back to even the match and he even had a match point in a 3rd set tiebreaker before eventually losing the match. The Magician earned the first NCAA singles ranking in school history last season and we are expecting a lot of magic from him this season."
 
(32) Garwacki (Salem) def. No. 9 Alves (Fairmont State) 6-1 6-2
(16) Santos Dias (W.Va.Wesleyan) def. Garwacki (Salem) 6-2 5-7 7-6 (11-9)
 
Freshman Bartosz Losiak and classmate Andrzej Urjasz also found success playing in their first NCAA ITA event. Losiak advanced to the finals of the consolation bracket picking up three wins along the way, while Urjasz fought hard against two highly ranked opponents in the region.
 
"Bartosz and Andrjez have only been here a few weeks and have already put teams on notice. Bartosz is a beast with a huge game and Andrjez is comparable to the Energizer Bunny he just keeps going and going. Salem University is very blessed to have both. They both are the type of guys you want on your side. Bartosz is tough as nails and Andrjez is the quiet type that you never see coming. Both got better with every match and that's what I want win or lose," quoted Tucker.
 
(32) Busse (Bluefield State) def. Losiak (Salem) 4-6 6-3 7-6
(16) Losiak (Salem) def. Gravoulet (West Liberty) 6-2 6-3
(Qtrs.) Losiak (Salem) def. Santos (Edinboro) 6-3 6-3
(Semi) Losiak (Salem) def. Tayar (Charleston) 6-3 6-7 7-6 (10-5)
(Finals) Alves (Fairmont State) def. Losiak (Salem) 6-3 7-5
 
(32) Simaioforidis (W.Va. Wesleyan) def. Urjasz (Salem) 7-5 3-6 7-6 (10-8)
(16) Tayar (Charleston) def. Urjasz (Salem) 3-6 7-6 7-6 (10-6)
 
(32) Leo (Fairmont State) def. Shaw (Salem) 6-2 6-2
(16) Cajas (Charleston) def. Shaw (Salem) 6-3 6-2
 
(32) Garrido (W.Va. Wesleyan) def. Bour (Salem) 6-2 7-5
(16) Dokken (Shepherd) def. Bour (Salem) 6-4 4-6 7-6 (15-13)
 
"The whole team represented Salem University with class on and off the court while making history," Tucker added about the weekend.