The Cowley College men’s tennis team nabs another top-five national finish
Playing the 2026 season with only six players on the roster, the minimum amount needed to field a team, the Cowley College men’s tennis team maximized its talents by placing fourth at the NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Tennis National Championships in Plano, TX.
Pratt Community College represented the conference and region well, capturing the national championship by a half-point over second-place Tyler Junior College. Eastern Florida was third with 26.5 points, just ahead of the fourth-place Tigers (25 points). Seward made it three Jayhawk Conference schools in the top five, placing fifth with 20 points.
Cowley was led by sophomore Dan Hosono, finishing as the national runner-up at No. 2 singles. Hosono lost his title match on Friday against Tyler Junior College's Willem De Waal 5-7, 3-6.
This marks the seventh straight season the Tigers have finished in the top five at the national tournament.
Cowley will say goodbye to sophomores Guilherme Coelho, Vaughn Smith, and Hosono. Head coach Marcel Miasato and assistant coach Ane Ibarra led the team.
Cowley Results:
MEN
SINGLES
*No. 1 – Haruki Okude (CC) received a bye in the first round; lost to Fernando Martinez (East Florida) 2-6, 1-6 in the quarterfinals.
*No. 2 – Dan Hosono (CC) received a bye in the first round; defeated Kenneth Rabinad Vila (Pratt) 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 in the quarterfinals; defeated Santiago Hildalgo (Weatherford) 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in the semifinals; lost to William De Waal (Tyler) 5-7, 3-6 in the finals.
*No. 3 – Luca Laurindo (CC) received a bye in the first round; defeated Johan Mottlau (East Florida) 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals; lost to Meryl Genevrier (Seward) 6-4, 2-6, 4-6 in the semifinals.
*No. 4 – Wojtek Biela (CC) received a bye in the first round; defeated Eytan Miessen (Seward) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals; lost to Kenta Kawada (Pratt) 1-6, 6-7 in the semifinals.
*No. 5 – Guilherme Coelho (CC) defeated Juan Luzuriaga (Seward) 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 in the first round; lost to Alejandro Pardo (Tyler) 1-6, 2-6 in the quarterfinals.
*No. 6 – Vaughn Smith (CC) received a bye in the first round; lost to Ignacio Sendra (East Florida) 3-6, 3-6 in the quarterfinals.
DOUBLES
*No. 1 – Okude/Hosono (CC) received a bye in the first round; defeated Andrew Griffith/Erdem Turgut (USC-Sumter) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the quarterfinals; lost to Sam Dinneen/Kenneth Rabinad Vila (Pratt) 2-6, 3-6 in the semifinals.
*No. 2 – Biela/Laurindo (CC) received a bye in the first round; defeated Meryl Genevrier/Eytan Miessen (Seward) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in the quarterfinals; lost to Kawada/Tshivhase (Pratt) 7-6, 6-7, 5-7 in the semifinals.
*No. 3 – Smith/Coelho (CC) received a bye in the first round; defeated Jet Capasso/Hugo Sjostrand (USC-Sumter) 7-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals; lost to Daniel Blinov/Edward Westfall (Pratt) 0-6, 5-7 in the semifinals.