Racine, Wis. -- The 2022 season came to a close for the Wheaton men's tennis team on Friday afternoon, as the Thunder fell, 5-2, to the Carthage Firebirds in the semifinals of the CCIW Tournament. Matched up against a top ten regional opponent that had only lost two matches all season, Wheaton knew they were in for a battle against this year's tournament hosts. The Thunder managed to hang with the second-seeded Firebirds early on, but eventually the favored side won out to advance to tomorrow's championship game. As a result, Wheaton's campaign ends with an overall record of 14-7, having won five conference matches and a conference tournament quarterfinal in 2022. 

Carthage captured two of the three doubles pairings to establish an advantage on the scoreboard, but Wheaton avoided the sweep thanks to Jacob Williams and Joey Geisz winning their #2 doubles fixture, 8-5. Geisz was on track to earn another win for Wheaton in his #6 singles contest, but his match was cut short due to the hosts earning the required five points. Tim Steiner won his #5 singles pairing in comfortable fashion, 6-2, 6-3, to round off his impressive season and earn Wheaton's second point of the day.

Despite today's defeat, there is reason for optimism within the Wheaton camp. No graduating seniors on this year's roster means the Thunder can look forward to a reloaded squad in the spring of 2023.