Thursday, April 23
Fairfield, Calif.
12:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
vs
Santa Clara
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
MTEN | Saint Mary’s Set for Showdown with No. 35 Santa Clara in Opening Round of WCC Tournament
4/23/2026 8:41:00 AM | Men's Tennis
FAIRFIELD, Calif. - The Saint Mary's men's tennis team got two clutch wins on the final weekend of West Coast Conference play to earn the sixth and final spot in this year's WCC Tournament. The Gaels will take on 3-seed Santa Clara for the second consecutive year and are seeking their first conference tournament win since 2013. Additional match information can be found below and full tournament coverage can be found at smcgaels.com.
MATCH COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
MTEN | 6-seed Saint Mary's vs. 3-seed Santa Clara | WCC Tournament
Fairfield Calif. | April 23 | 12 p.m. | Green Valley CC
Live Stats | Live Stream
GAELS OUTLOOK
Maxant and Dyer Earn WCC Doubles Team of the Week Honors…
The Saint Mary's men's tennis team will take some nice momentum into the 2026 West Coast Conference Tournament as doubles pair Thibaud Maxant and Finn Dyer were named the final WCC Doubles Team of the Week for their first weekly award of the season.
The duo have been the Gaels' top doubles team the entire season and picked up another two wins this past weekend, improving to a team best 11-8 this spring and helping the Gaels to two massive wins to clinch the sixth and final seed in the WCC Tournament. Maxant and Dyer started the weekend off with an intense tiebreaker victory against Pacific, defeating the Tigers top pair 7-6 (7-3). They concluded the weekend with a 6-2 win over Gonzaga that eventually led to a 4-0 sweep in favor of the Gaels.
Maxant and Dyer became the first WCC Doubles Team of the Week winners since Carlos Ramos Membrives and Ellison Greco won the weekly honor during the 2024 season. Saint Mary's has had three conference weekly award winners this season including a pair of Freshman of the Week honors from Sam Simmonds and Juan Pedro Etchecoin.
JP Earns First Career Shamrock Student-Athlete of the Week…
The Saint Mary's men's tennis team recorded its two biggest wins of the 2026 season last weekend, defeating Pacific and Gonzaga to secure the sixth and final seed in the 2026 West Coast Conference Tournament. At the center of that success was true freshman Juan Pedro Etchecoin who went a combined 4-0 over the two matches to be named this week's Shamrock Office Solutions Student-Athlete of the Week. He is the first Gaels men's tennis player to earn this award since Finn Dyer last season.
Etchecoin has had a solid freshman campaign for the Gaels, earning WCC Freshman of the Week back on February 24. He concludes the regular season as the team's wins leader in singles play with a 9-8 overall record. He started the weekend off with a 6-2 doubles win with his older brother Paulo Hugo Etchecoin before winning in straight sets out of the four-spot for Saint Mary's. His brother and he won handily again on Sunday, 6-2 out of the second doubles position, before winning another singles match 6-4 6-1 over Gonzaga's Nicholas Reeves.
9-Win Season Under First-Year Cardiff…
First year head coach Dan Cardiff inherited the majority of the 2025-26 roster but has made the most of it, leading Saint Mary's to nine wins for the most since 2013. Cardiff also has the chance to record the program's first conference tournament victory since that 2013 campaign when the Gaels knocked off Portland in the opening round.
Series History…
Saint Mary's and Santa Clara have met in each of the Gaels' last three WCC Tournament appearances including this season, but the Broncos have taken the prior two meetings with a 4-0 sweep in 2025 and a gritty 4-3 victory in 2023. The Broncos have won three consecutive matches against the Gaels including a 4-0 sweep earlier this season with the last Saint Mary's win coming in 2024.
Santa Clara comes into the match ranked No. 35 in the latest ITA polls, setting the stage for an epic upset if the Gaels can pull off the win Thursday afternoon. .
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
MATCH COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
MTEN | 6-seed Saint Mary's vs. 3-seed Santa Clara | WCC Tournament
Fairfield Calif. | April 23 | 12 p.m. | Green Valley CC
Live Stats | Live Stream
GAELS OUTLOOK
Maxant and Dyer Earn WCC Doubles Team of the Week Honors…
The Saint Mary's men's tennis team will take some nice momentum into the 2026 West Coast Conference Tournament as doubles pair Thibaud Maxant and Finn Dyer were named the final WCC Doubles Team of the Week for their first weekly award of the season.
The duo have been the Gaels' top doubles team the entire season and picked up another two wins this past weekend, improving to a team best 11-8 this spring and helping the Gaels to two massive wins to clinch the sixth and final seed in the WCC Tournament. Maxant and Dyer started the weekend off with an intense tiebreaker victory against Pacific, defeating the Tigers top pair 7-6 (7-3). They concluded the weekend with a 6-2 win over Gonzaga that eventually led to a 4-0 sweep in favor of the Gaels.
Maxant and Dyer became the first WCC Doubles Team of the Week winners since Carlos Ramos Membrives and Ellison Greco won the weekly honor during the 2024 season. Saint Mary's has had three conference weekly award winners this season including a pair of Freshman of the Week honors from Sam Simmonds and Juan Pedro Etchecoin.
JP Earns First Career Shamrock Student-Athlete of the Week…
The Saint Mary's men's tennis team recorded its two biggest wins of the 2026 season last weekend, defeating Pacific and Gonzaga to secure the sixth and final seed in the 2026 West Coast Conference Tournament. At the center of that success was true freshman Juan Pedro Etchecoin who went a combined 4-0 over the two matches to be named this week's Shamrock Office Solutions Student-Athlete of the Week. He is the first Gaels men's tennis player to earn this award since Finn Dyer last season.
Etchecoin has had a solid freshman campaign for the Gaels, earning WCC Freshman of the Week back on February 24. He concludes the regular season as the team's wins leader in singles play with a 9-8 overall record. He started the weekend off with a 6-2 doubles win with his older brother Paulo Hugo Etchecoin before winning in straight sets out of the four-spot for Saint Mary's. His brother and he won handily again on Sunday, 6-2 out of the second doubles position, before winning another singles match 6-4 6-1 over Gonzaga's Nicholas Reeves.
9-Win Season Under First-Year Cardiff…
First year head coach Dan Cardiff inherited the majority of the 2025-26 roster but has made the most of it, leading Saint Mary's to nine wins for the most since 2013. Cardiff also has the chance to record the program's first conference tournament victory since that 2013 campaign when the Gaels knocked off Portland in the opening round.
Series History…
Saint Mary's and Santa Clara have met in each of the Gaels' last three WCC Tournament appearances including this season, but the Broncos have taken the prior two meetings with a 4-0 sweep in 2025 and a gritty 4-3 victory in 2023. The Broncos have won three consecutive matches against the Gaels including a 4-0 sweep earlier this season with the last Saint Mary's win coming in 2024.
Santa Clara comes into the match ranked No. 35 in the latest ITA polls, setting the stage for an epic upset if the Gaels can pull off the win Thursday afternoon. .
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
MTEN | Dan Cardiff Halftime Interview at WBB vs. Pacific
Monday, February 16
