Looking to make amends after falling in the NAIA National Championship match in 1978, the Atlantic Christian College Men’s Tennis Team responded by winning the first national title for any sport in school history.

At the national tournament in Kansas City, Mo., ACC edged out Gustavus Adolphus, 28-26, in the team standings to capture the crown.  Barton Head Coach Tom Parham was named the NAIA National Coach of the Year.

The key moment may have come in doubles play when the Bulldogs’ Brian Staub and Andres Alvarez, the last remaining ACC competitors in the field, defeated the No. 1-ranked team in the South Region in the quarterfinals to secure the trophy.

The Bulldogs were led by Co-Captains Tom Morris and Jay Aldridge.  Morris, the squad’s No. 1 singles player, and Aldridge both earned All-American honors.  In fact, the top six players earned all-league laurels.

Barton also captured the Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and NAIA District 29 Championships.

Morris, Alvarez, Staub and Parham are all in the Barton College Sports Hall of Fame.