SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – North Dakota’s Gerhard Sullwald and Sapir Sela take home this week’s Summit League men’s and women’s tennis athlete of the week honors after finishing the weekend with undefeated records. It is the first career accolade for both Sullwald and Sela.
 
Sullwald won both his singles and his doubles matches to help propel North Dakota to a 7-0 victory over league foe Illinois State. Sullwald teamed up with Cian McDonnell to pick up a 6-4 win on the No. 1 court over Illinois State’s Nam Pham and Mike Agee. He carried the energy into singles play defeating Pham with a pair of 6-4 scores at the top spot in the singles lineup.
 
Sela won all four of her matches at the top spot in singles and doubles to help UND go 2-0 on the weekend defeating Western Illinois 7-0 and Creighton 5-2. She started the weekend teaming up with Andrea Jansson for a 6-2 doubles win against Western Illinois. At the No. 1 court in singles, she earned a 6-3, 7-5 victory over WIU’s Lorena Castellanos.
 
Sela earned her sixth straight doubles win when she and Jansson took down Creighton’s Kate Krueger and Sarah Wilcox in doubles. In singles, she again matched up against Krueger and went on to defeat her 7-6, 6-3. Her hand in the victory earned UND its first win over the Bluejays in program history.
 
Gerhard Sullwald, North Dakota
So | Limpopo, South Africa

• Earned his first career athlete of the week accolade
• Won both his singles and doubles matches at the top spots
• Holds a 3-3 record at No. 1 singles and an 8-1 record in doubles at the top spot

Also nominated: Matt Summers (Denver), Evan Fragistas (Drake)
 
Sapir Sela, North Dakota
Fr | Boca Raton, Fla.

• Earned her first career athlete of the week accolade
• Holds a 4-2 record in singles play at the No. 1 spot
• She owns a  7-2 overall record in doubles so far on the season

Also nominated: Natka Kmoskova (South Dakota)
 
2021 Tennis Athletes of the Week
January 26
M: Abdoul Ouattara, Omaha
W: Madison Gallegos, Omaha
 
February 2
M: Edmond Aynedjian, North Dakota
W: Adrea Jasson, North Dakota
 
February 9
M: Melker Isaakson, Illinois State
W: Anna Riedmiller, Denver
 
February 16
M: James Davis, Denver
W: Britt Pursell, Denver
 
February 23
M: Matt Summers, Denver
W: Taylor Melville, Denver
 
March 2
M: Evan Fragistas, Drake
W: Britt Pursell, Denver
 
March 9
M: None
W: Yana Grechkina, Kansas City
 
March 16
M: Cian McDonnell, North Dakota
W: Riddhi Sharma, Kansas City
 
March 23
M: Oliver Johansson, Drake
W: Anastassya Timofeyeva, Kansas City
 
March 30
M: Gerhard Sullwald, North Dakota
W: Sapir Sela, North Dakota