Kigongo and Trinidad Complete Play
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
February 6, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Entering the Rolex National Intercollegiate tournament with a perfect record, the Michigan State doubles team of Ken Kigongo (Bradenton, Fla.) and Francisco Trinidad (Mexico City, Mexico) had high hopes. They leave the tournament with two losses but with valuable experience that will only help come Big Ten conference action. Overall, the Spartan team finished at 1-2 for the tournament, losing their final match 7-6 (3), 6-3 to Kelly Gullet and John Hui of Pepperdine in the consolation bracket semifinals. Gullet and Hui lost later in the day in consolation finals..
After compiling a record of 8-0 in the fall, the duo had high hopes entering the tournament, but after losing their opening round match they had to regroup and put their loss behind them. The junior duo did not have an easy opening draw as they faced the eventual tournament winners, Dumitru Caradima and Shuon Madden of Texas A&M. Caradima and Madden defeated the team of Jeff Laski and Gavin Sontag of Illinois, who were trying to become the first doubles team from the Big Ten to capture the doubles title since 1979, for the mens doubles Rolex National Intercollegiate championship.
Kigongo and Trinidad entered the tournament ranked number one in the region, number two nationally and were seeded at number two. All other seeded doubles teams won their opening round matches with only the number three seeds, Laski and Sontag, moving on to the semifinals.
The Rolex National Intercollegiate feature a 32-player singles field and 16-team doubles field for men and women, including qualifiers from Division 1 ITA Regional Championships held across the county during the fall, the winners of the first two legs of the 1998-99 ITA Collegiate Grand Slam and at-large and wild card selections made by the ITA National Tournament committee. Kigongo and Trinidad received an automatic bid by winning the ITA Region IV Championships held at Michigan State last fall. The Rolex National Indoor Championships were inaugurated in 1978.
The Michigan State mens team will open their spring season of team competition when they travel to face the Cardinals of the University of Louisville on February 7.
Doubles Results Kigongo/Trinidad (9-2)
L Caradima/Madden 6-3, 6-4 W Rivero/Rodriguez 6-3, 7-5 L Gullett/Hui 7-6 (3), 6-3
