Men's Tennis | 2/20/2026 11:58:00 PM

St. Peter, Minn. - After being down 2-0 in the opening round of the ITA Indoor Championship, the Denison men's tennis team won five-straight singles matches to cap off a victory against eighth-seeded Gustavus Adolphus, 5-2. Jacob Patterson and Nickawn Namdar helped propel the Big Red to their fifth consecutive victory, while the Gusties fell to 3-2 on the season.

#1 Denison 5, #21 Gustavus Adolphus 2

Doubles: Gustavus Adolphus was able to pounce on Denison early, securing a win in the No. 3 flight as Noah Hakim and Owen Skanse defeated Aidan Borosko and Nick Meyers 6-2. In the No. 1 flight, duo Kael Shah and Ethan Green had a tremendous battle against Gage Gohl and Tyler Haddorff, winning the last two sets to cap off a comeback victory, 7-6 (7-3). The final battle ensued in the No. 2 flight, as Jacob Patterson and Wesley Huang went up against Dominik Knutson and Takura Mhwandagara. The Big Red pair could not complete their own comeback, and fell 7-6 (7-5) as the Gusties took the early 1-0 lead.

1. Ethan Green/Kael Shah (DENM) def. Gage Gohl/Tyler Haddorff (GACM) 7-6 (7-3)
2. Dominik Knutson/Takura Mhwandagara (GACM) def. Jacob Patterson/Wesley Huang (DENM) 7-6 (7-5)
3. Noah Hakim/Owen Skanse (GACM) def. Aidan Borosko/Nick Meyers (DENM) 6-2

Singles: The Gusties built on their momentum and took a 2-0 lead after Knutson defeated Green 6-2, 6-2 in the opening singles play. Patterson responded to get the Big Red on the board after a convincing 6-2, 6-3 win in the No. 3 spot. Nickawn Namdar knotted things at 2-2 after a hard-fought victory in the No. 6 flight, 6-3, 6-4. Meyers was able to put Denison up 3-2 after a three-set victory, and Shah sealed the win in the No. 1 flight against Gohl 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Anthony Payiavlas secured a win in the No. 5 spot, and the Big Red took home a crucial win to advance to the next round of the ITA Indoor Championship.

1. Kael Shah (DENM) def. Gage Gohl (GACM) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
2. Dominik Knutson (GACM) def. Ethan Green (DENM) 6-2, 6-2
3. Jacob Patterson (DENM) def. Tyler Haddorff (GACM) 6-2, 6-3
4. Nick Meyers (DENM) def. Deuce Daniel (GACM) 4-6, 6-0, 6-1
5. Anthony Payiavlas (DENM) def. Luke Fridinger (GACM) 2-6, 6-1, 6-2
6. Nickawn Namdar (DENM) def. Noah Hakim (GACM) 6-3, 6-4

Match Notes:

No. 1 Denison Big Red, 5-0 (3-0)

No. 21 Gustavus Adolphus Gusties, 3-2

Doubles Order: 3, 1, 2

Singles Order: 2, 3, 6, 4, 1, 5

Up Next for the Big Red

Denison will take on the No. 4 seed University of Chicago tomorrow at 12:00 pm (CT) | 1:00 pm (ET) in the semifinals.