Fears over COVID-19 deny Vikings a chance for third straight CCIW championship and NCAA Tournament appearance; Coach Jon Miedema's squad goes 8-2 in dual-meet play before season is terminated; Caio de Rezende earns ITA ranking of 15th in Central Region; Peter Alex joins 100-win club
 
Coach Jon Miedema's Augustana men were denied an opportunity for their third straight CCIW championship and NCAA Division III Tournament appearance this spring by fears over COVID-19. The Vikings went 8-2 in dual meets before the remainder of the season was cancelled in early in March.
 
In the team's final dual—an 8-1 win over Edgewood on March 7—junior Peter Alex (Hinsdale South HS, Darien, Ill.) logged victories at first singles and first doubles to give him an even 100 victories for his career. Classmate Caio de Rezende (Colegio Itoca, Sao Paulo, Brazil), who normally manned the number one singles spot, garnered a final ranking of 15th in the Central Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
 
The season opened in mid-September with the CCIW Fall Invitational in Kenosha, Wisvconsin. Augustana crowned five champions, including at first singles, where de Rezende rolled to three consecutive straight-set wins. Three weeks later, Alex and classmate Sriram Sugumaran (Pleasant Valley HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) reached the doubles quarterfinal round at the ITA Central Regional Championship in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
 
The Vikings' 10 dual meets took place from January 25, when they defeated Wabash and Illinois Tech at home, to the March 7 win at Edgewood. Their only setbacks came at Division III power Chicago, where de Rezende logged an impressive win at first singles, and to Coe at home by a 5-4 margin.
 
Alex and de Rezende shared the team's MVP award this year. De Rezende posted a 12-3 record to lead Augustana in singles wins and his 9-3 record with multiple partners earned him a share of the team lead in doubles victories. Alex went 9-4 in singles, including 2-0 when moving to the number one slot. He was 9-7 in doubles, including an 8-6 mark with Sugumaran as Miedema's number one team. Alex and Sugumaran also shared this year's Hardest Worker Award.
 
After de Rezende and Alex at first and second singles, Miedema's lineup most often consisted of Sugumaran (9-4) at number three, with sophomores Leonardo Panosso (La Sale Caxias, Caxias do Sul, Brazil) (9-1), Justin Cassens (Emerald Ridge HS, Puyallup, Wash.) (6-6) and Kyle Boudreau (Antioch HS, Antioch, Ill.) (5-6) manning spots four through six, respectively.
 
Boudreau and Panosso went 6-2 as Augustana's primary second doubles unit. De Rezende paired with several partners at number three. Cassens was the most frequent. The duo combined for a 3-1 mark.
 
Overall, the Vikings went 69-32 (.683) in singles matches this year and posted a 33-17 (.660) ledger in doubles.
 
2019-20 CCIW STANDINGS

SCHOOL	CONF	OVERALL
AUGUSTANA	0-0	8-2
Illinois Wesleyan	0-0	9-4
Carroll	0-0	5-3
Carthage	0-0	9-6
North Central	0-0	7-5
Wheaton	0-0	6-5
Elmhurst	0-0	2-3
Millikin	0-0	2-7

 
2020 COLLEGE CONFERENCE OF ILLINOIS & WISCONSIN TOURNAMENT 
April 30-May 2, 2020 ** Elmhurst College ** Elmhurst, Illinois
Cancelled
 
2019-20 AUGUSTANA SUPERLATIVES
CCIW Finish: Cancelled
CCIW All-Conference:  No teams announced
CCIW Individual Flight Champions: No champions announced
CCIW Player of the Week: Caio de Rezende (02/05/20); Sriram Sugumaran (02/19/20)
ITA Central Region Singles Ranking: Caio de Rezende, 15th
100-win club: Peter Alex, 100-51
Most singles wins: 12, Caio de Rezende (12-3)
Most doubles wins: 9, Caio de Rezende (9-3); Kyle Boudreau (9-3); Leonardo Panosso (9-4); Peter Alex (9-7)
 
SCHOOL RECORDS
None
 
TOP TEN LIST ADDITIONS
None
 
TEAM AWARDS
Most Valuable Player: Caio de Rezende and Peter Alex
Hardest Worker: Peter Alex and Sriram Sugumaran
Most Improved: Justin Cassens