Trust The Process: Bethune-Cookman Tennis Takes 1st HBCU National Tournament Men's Title

BCU MEN'S ROSTER

LAKE NONA, Florida  – When it comes to trusting the process, the Philadelphia 76ers have nothing on the Bethune-Cookman men's tennis team.

From a one-win season in 2016 to winning the HBCU National Men's tournament championship in 2018, the Wildcats' relentless run through the tournament concluded Saturday at the USTA National Campus with two flight championships and two flight runner-up finishes.

Victor Bravo took his flight over teammate Victor Castro, while Juan David Navarro  and Phillip Lynch combines for a doubles flight title. Lynch was a runner-up in his singles flight, and the Wildcats had a representative in all five singles and doubles draws.

Lynch and Navarro's early Saturday doubles victory gave the Wildcats an insurmountable lead over Xavier in the team competition. Everything after that was an exclamation point for a team that's had its share of struggles since a 1-17 dual season in 2016.   
"It's having a vision, having a goal and putting all the pieces together," said B-CU Head Val Villucci enjoying the biggest win of her three seasons at B-CU. "It certainly doesn't come easy and I've been doing this long enough to know that when it does happen, it's very special.

"These young men have fought through a lot of adversities and there were many times of doubt, but they put their trust in us," Villucci added. "They opened their mind and put their trust in the process. For me personally, I am so grateful to the athletes and for the support of the staff and administration. Without a team surrounding us, we couldn't get it done."

After Castro went down with severe cramping after his semifinal victory and with the team title clinched on the strength of putting three in the singles finals and eventually one in the doubles finals, Villucci made the call not to have an intrasquad flight final. Still, Bravo's title marked B-CU's first singles championship in the tournament since Greg Almeida in 2014.

Lynch, who beat doubles partner Navarro in Friday's semifinals, dropped his flight championship to Morgan's Serhii Kharchev but reunited with Navarro to take close the tournament with a win over North Carolina Central's Sebastian Bromley and Pablo Torres.

"Philip found a way to win. He just kept being persistent," Villucci said. "Having to compete against your teammate is never easy but they are always reminded to play and train to improve your teammates."

On the women's side, freshman Michelle Ncube continued her impressive start by winning her flight with a 6-2, 6-2 decision over Morgan State's Asmara Faluki. Ncube is now 8-0 in singles play this fall as she won the first Lady Wildcat singles title in the tournament single Alejandra Vidal and Chinatsu Kajiwara won in 2014.

The men's team will return to the National Campus next week for the Bedford Cup. The women's Bedford Cup will be in Miami October 12-14.

BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS