WATERLOO — For the second time in three years, a duo of Central College men's tennis players won the Flight B Doubles of the American Rivers Conference Individual Championships as sophomores David Boschma (Olathe, Kan., Northwest HS) and Ethan St. John (Crystal Lake, Ill., Central HS) won the title Saturday.

In 2016, Dutch player Garret Taylor and Scott Wilson won the same title.

The No. 5 seed entering the tournament, Boschma and St. John beat the No. 3 seed of Riley Michel and Seam Baldwin from Loras College 8-1 in the championship match. The tandem had beaten Tommy Linkenheld and Sage Klar of Loras 8-5 in the semifinal.
           
"We came out a little slow in the first match and kind of squeaked by honestly," coach Ryun Ferrell said. "Give Credit to Linkenheld and Klar, they played well and we just played okay."
           
"In the second match against a very good and veteran team, I've never seen David and Ethan play so smart. It wasn't that they played amazingly well, they just played smart and stuck to what they do best. They acted like a team that had been together forever."

Central's other doubles team in the B-Flight, William Isiminger (sophomore, North Aurora, Ill., West Aurora HS) and Brad Dileo (freshman, Iowa City, West HS), beat Linkenheld and Klar 8-5 in the third-place match after losing 8-5 against Michael and Baldwin in the semis.
           
"You've got a freshman and sophomore who have never played together and they are trying to figure each other out," Ferrell said. "By the end of the second match, they started doing things that doubles teams should do. It was a nice way to finish the weekend."
           
Boschma and St. John will play together next weekend at the USTA/ITA Division III Midwest Regional in St. Peter, Minnesota. Boschma and Isiminger will also be entered in the singles brackets.
           
"We're excited about it," Ferrell said. "It's a great opportunity for them to play more  and learn more. It'll be a good weekend for them."