WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Whitman College's energy from Saturday rolled over to Sunday afternoon as the Whits hosted Pacific University in the Northwest Conference championship match in men's tennis action. Whitman proved to be too much for the Boxers, as the Whits powered to a 5-1 win claiming their ninth consecutive NWC championship.
 
Whitman, who ranks No. 5 in the NCAA Division III west region and 19th in the nation, improved to 19-8 on the year, while Pacific dropped to 18-4.

The Whits won two of three doubles matches on the afternoon, both of which came down to the wire. After the Boxers grabbed a 1-0 lead by defeating Zach Hewlin and Phillip Locklear at number two, a nail-biter finish on court three saw Chase Friedman and Petar Jivkov on the right side of a 9-7 decision, a match that tied the dual 1-1. Robert Carter and Jake Hoeger squeaked out a 9-8 win at number one which ended up being the final doubles match of the afternoon, giving Whitman a 2-1 lead heading into singles.

Whitman was on fire out of the gate in singles play. Adam Rapoport registered a 6-2, 6-3 win at number six, which put the Whits up 3-1 and just two points from victory. After just missing out on finishing yesterday's match, Jivkov took home a win on court five. The 6-2, 6-2 decision put Whitman in a comfortable 4-1 lead and rolling toward another NWC crown.

The clincher came from the region's No. 4 player Hewlin, who cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 1. The other matches halted at that point, but showed Locklear leading 7-5, 1-0, Friedman winning 6-3, 3-0 and Gary Ho in a back-and-forth match, but leading 6-5, 2-3.

The Whits now head to the NCAA regional tournament which will take place May 13-15 in a location yet to be determined.