Men's Tennis | April 19

BUFFALO, N. Y. – The Northern Illinois men's tennis team finished the 2026 season as the runner-up in the Mid-American Conference Championship, falling 4-0 to hosting Buffalo. Iker Gaztambide Arrastia and Nikola Puntaric were named to the 2026 MAC All-Tournament Team.

"First, I want to thank each member of our Huskie men's tennis team. As coaches, we gave them our hearts and we appreciate the guys for giving their hearts back to us in return," said head coach René Vidal. "Second, a big congratulations to Coach Lee Nickel and his Buffalo men's tennis program. Winning back-to-back championships in this current collegiate athletic environment is a huge accomplishment. We wish them the best."

The Huskies reached the finals for the first time since 2019 and fifth time in program history. NIU finished the season with an 18-8 record, the most wins in a single season since 2021 (21 wins) and tied for the third most wins in a season since 1995.

"To all our supporters in Huskie nation and beyond, NIU men's tennis appreciates you for helping us create a historic season and truly amazing memories," said Vidal.

Buffalo earned the doubles point with a 6-2 win at No. 2 and 6-3 win at No. 1. Pratyaksh LNU / Chiao Bo Suo Nan were tied with Faiz Nasyam / Minjae Kim at 4-4 when the match was abandoned.

The Bulls were able to claim victories at No. 5, No. 3 and No. 6 in singles, winning their second consecutive MAC Tournament title.

Gaztambide Arrastia (Pamplona, Spain / Jesuitas) was in a battle with Theodoris Mitsakos at No. 1, with Mitsakos holding on for a 7-6 (7-2) win in the first set. The second set was 2-2 when the match was abandoned.

Puntaric (Ljubljana, Slovenia / Tulsa) and Federico Scotuzzi (Bergamo, Italy / North Alabama) were each in the early stages of their third sets after winning the first and dropping the second.

Gaztambide Arrastia finished the dual season with a 20-2 record in singles and 17-7 in doubles while Puntaric finished with a 18-3 singles record and 14-7 doubles record.

The outgoing senior class of Gaztambide Arrastia, Scotuzzi and Iker Dellien Velasco combined for over 225 victories in their careers at NIU.