The Northwest Missouri State men’s tennis team claimed the No. 1 seed for the upcoming MIAA Centennial Men’s Tennis Championships with a 7-2 victory over Washburn on Tuesday at the Washburn Tennis Complex.

Northwest saw its record move to 17-4 overall and a perfect 4-0 in league play. The Ichabods fell to 7-7 on the year and 1-2 in conference action as they will wrap up their final MIAA match on Thursday.

It’s the second consecutive season the Bearcats have finish with an unblemished record in conference play as they look for their third straight MIAA Tournament Title.

In doubles action the Bearcats jumped out to an early 2-1 lead with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. Both pairs won their matches by identical 8-1 scores while Northwest fell at No. 1 doubles 9-7.

In singles, Northwest quickly raced out to a 6-2 lead claiming easy wins at No. 2 and No. 3 singles via Mario Jakovljevic and Rafael Bugiga. Jakovljevic took a 6-2, 6-2 win while Bugiga claimed his No. 2 singles with a 6-2, 6-4 victory.

Luis Altimires fell for only the second time at No. 5 singles, but the Bearcats picked up their teammate taking wins at No. 4 and No. 6 singles to seal the match.

Calvin Patterson closed out the match for Northwest at No. 1 singles with another tough win. Patterson claimed a 7-5, 7-5 win for his 10th victory of the season.

The men’s MIAA Championships begin on Saturday as Northwest takes the No. 1 seed into the tournament. The Bearcats open play at the Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City at 11 a.m.

— NWMSU Sports Information —