Cotter, Buford make it to national semifinals
Gonzalo Cotter and Ryland Buford concluded the deepest run by any Mississippi Gulf Coast tennis player at the national championship since 2018 on Thursday, helping the Bulldogs solidify their top-10 position.
They won another match at the NJCAA Division I Men's Tennis Tournament in Florence, S.C., reaching the No. 2 doubles semifinals.
"They made a statement with a huge win over Wallace State, and the really pushed a tough, tough team from Tyler," Gulf Coast coach Sam Blackburn said. "They proved they belong in the semifinals for sure. They saved their best tennis for the end of the year. It was great watching them compete and hold their own against the best doubles team in the country."
Cotter (So., Valencia, Spain/IVLA) and Buford (Fr., Gulfport/Gulfport) beat Alexander Edley and Zac Riley 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinals. They pushed Tyler's top-seeded duo of Doni Gashi and Daniel Jankoski to a first-set tiebreaker before falling in straight sets.
They were the first Bulldogs to make it to the semifinals since 2018, when Margarita Lopareva made it to the round in No. 2 singles and Megan Bankston and Tierney Holmes did likewise in No. 2 doubles.
In the No. 3 doubles main draw quarterfinals, Connor Hartfield (Fr., Hattiesburg/Oak Grove) and Jordan Mitchell (Fr., Natchez/Natchez) lost in straight sets to second-seeded Daniel Maurico Marincas and Alex Morris from Tyler. They had earned three points for making it that far.
Vicente Faria (So., Lisbon, Portugal/Escola Secundaria de Fonseca Benevides) and Moritz Stroebel (Fr., Metzingen, Germany/Theodor-Heuss-Schule Reutlingen) also added to the Bulldogs' point total, picking up a quarterfinal win in the No. 1 doubles consolation draw. They trounced Lake County's Evan Bernales and Dwayne Daarol 8-1.
They'll play Jones in the semifinals on Thursday, with a finals match to follow if they win.
The Bulldogs maintained their ninth-place spot in the standings with 22 points, and look like they've clinched the top-10 finish that was their goal.
"It seems like we solidified ourselves there," Blackburn said. "That's a huge moment, something we talked about and worked for. For it to happen now is really cool for us. It's a big deal to be the top team in Mississippi and a top-10 team in the country, with all the recruiting implications. It says a lot about what these guys have done tomorrow."
2025 NJCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship
Florence, S.C.
May 12-16
Thursday
Quarterfinals
Doubles Main Draw
No. 2: Ryland Buford-Gonzalo Cotter (GC) def. (5) Alexander Edley-Zac Riley (Wallace State), 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
No. 3: (2) Daniel Maurico Marincas-Alex Morris (Tyler) def. Connor Hartfield-Jordan Mitchell (GC), 6-1, 6-1
Doubles Consolation Draw
No. 1: Vicente Faria-Moritz Stroebel (GC) def. Evan Bernales-Dwayne Daarol (Lake County), 8-1
Semifinals
Doubles Main Draw
No. 2: (1) Doni Gashi-Daniel Jankoski (Tyler) def. Ryland Buford-Gonzalo Cotter (GC), 7-6, 6-2
Friday
Semifinals
Doubles Consolation Draw
No. 1: Vicente Faria-Moritz Stroebel (GC) vs. Tom Garrett-Matias Ruiz (Jones), 10:30 a.m.
For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
