NCAA-II Tourn. 1st Round	FINAL
#21 McKendree (18-4)	4
#24 PANTHERS  (16-5)	3

 
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.— McKendree battled back to defeat Drury 4-3 on Monday in the opening round of the NCAA-II Tournament in Indianapolis, Indiana.
 
The Panthers, ranked 24^th nationally and seeded fourth in the Midwest Region, ended their season with a 16-5 record. McKendree, the number five seed in the region and ranked 21^st in Division II, advanced to the second round with an 18-4 mark.
 
Drury took a 1-0 lead after winning two of the three doubles matches. Drury's top doubles team of Sylvain Garin-Michaud and Chuy Gonzalez earned the point with a 6-4 win over Leonardo Frederico and Bendix Schroeder.
 
Garin-Michaud added to Drury's lead in the match as he picked up a singles win over 66^th ranked Sabastian Holden, 6-1, 6-1. Garin-Michaud, a senior from Saint Etienne, France, ended his season with a 17-4 mark in singles.
 
The Bearcats got on the board, winning the number six singles match, but Drury took a 3-1 lead with a win from Marlon Wilken, 6-4, 6-4 over Bendrix Schroeder. Wilken ended his spring with a 15-1 record, and he won his last eight matches. 
 
McKendree pulled even with wins from their number four and five singles players, with Luka Kalenic going three sets, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, over Mattieu Gachon.
 
The match was decided by the final two players on the court, both ranked among the top 20 singles players in NCAA-II. 15^th ranked Leonardo Frederico fought past 16^th ranked Yaroslav Sharyy 6-3, 6-4.
 
McKendree advanced to the second round where they will play the top seed in the Midwest Region, ninth-ranked Indianapolis, who swept Findlay 4-0 on Monday.
 
Drury's appearance in the NCAA-II Tournament marked the 24^th time in program history the Panthers have reached the national stage.
 
#21 McKendree Bearcats 4, #24 Drury 3
May 13, 2024 at Indianapolis, Ind. (Center Grove HS)
Singles competition
1. #15 L. Schmitz Frederico (MCK-M) def. #16 Yaroslav Sharyy (DRURY-M) 6-3, 6-4
2. S. Garin-Michaud (DRURY-M) def. #66 Sabastian Holden (MCK-M) 6-1, 6-1
3. Marlon Wilken (DRURY-M) def. Bendix Schroeder (MCK-M) 6-4, 6-4
4. Vishnu Prasad (MCK-M) def. Chuy Gonzelez (DRURY-M) 6-2, 6-4
5. Luka Kalenic (MCK-M) def. Matthieu Gachon (DRURY-M) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
6. Lorenzo Del Biondo (MCK-M) def. Mark Drozdetskii (DRURY-M) 6-0, 6-0
 
Doubles competition
1. S. Garin-Michaud/Chuy Gonzelez (DRURY-M) def. L. Schmitz Frederico/Bendix Schroeder (MCK-M) 6-4
2. Marlon Wilken/Lukas Rieber (DRURY-M) def. Luka Kalenic/Mathijs Aalpol (MCK-M) 7-5
3. Vishnu Prasad/Lorenzo Del Biondo (MCK-M) def. Mark Drozdetskii/Yaroslav Sharyy (DRURY-M) 6-3
 
Match Notes
McKendree Bearcats 18-4; National ranking #21; Regional ranking #5
Drury-M 16-5; National ranking #24; Regional ranking #4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (2,6,3,4,5,1)
NCAA-II Tournament, First Round
T-2:53 A-53