Pacific Index

Boxers tennis traveled to Whitman College for their first taste of competition

   The Pacific University men’s tennis team traveled to Walla Walla, Washington, over the weekend to compete in the 2026 ITA DIII Men’s Northwest Regional Championship, giving the Boxers their first opportunity to compete against some of the top Division III players in the Northwest.

   Hosted by Whitman College from Sept. 26-28, the three-day tournament brought together players from Northwest Conference programs around the region. The event featured singles and doubles competition and provided Pacific’s players with some valuable experience early in the 2026-27 season.

   Pacific entered several players in the tournament’s singles competition, including juniors Joshua Dela Cruz, Steele Toguchi and Kekua Chong, as well as seniors Lucas Fuhrmann, Dawson Hose, Alexander Kinoshita and Jonathan Nguyen. Dela Cruz was one of the Boxers’ highest-seeded players, entering the Flight A singles draw as the No. 9 seed. Kinoshita was the highest seed, entering as the No. 8 seed.

   For Dela Cruz, the regional championship provided another opportunity to compete after his strong 2025-26 campaign. As a sophomore, he was selected to the First Team All-Northwest Conference singles team after competing primarily at No. 1 singles for Pacific. He finished 5-8 in conference singles play and established himself as one of the leading returning players for the Boxers.

   The tournament also featured several returning seniors who will provide lots of proficiency for Pacific throughout the season. Fuhrmann, Hose, Kinoshita and Nguyen are this year’s senior group for the 2026-27 year, giving the Boxers a veteran presence as they begin a new season. “This was one of the cleanest fall seasons we’ve had since I’ve been coaching,” says men’s tennis head coach Rayden Murata. Coach Murata goes on to say, 

   “Every match we played it looked like we were ready, confident, and the more experienced player. The only matches we lost this weekend were simply because we got outplayed and that’s okay. We gave nothing up for free and I’m really proud of everyone’s performance this weekend.”

   The regional tournament comes after Pacific finished fifth in the Northwest Conference standings last spring with a 7-7 conference record. The Boxers narrowly missed the four-team NWC postseason tournament, falling 4-3 to George Fox in their regular-season finale. Pacific earned all three of its points in that match through singles victories from Kinoshita, Ryley Chang and Fuhrmann.

   Kinoshita enters the new season as another key player to watch. During the 2025-26 season, he earned Third Team All-NWC recognition in singles and finished 8-4 in conference play. Nguyen also earned Third Team All-NWC honors after going 5-3 in conference singles competition. The two players give Pacific playing experience at the top of the lineup as the team looks to improve on a fifth-place conference finish just a year ago.

   The ITA regional also gave Pacific’s players a chance to familiarize themselves with opponents they could encounter again when Northwest Conference play begins in the spring. With programs such as Whitman, George Fox, Whitworth, Lewis & Clark, Linfield and the University of Puget Sound represented, the tournament provided a preview of the level of competition Pacific will face throughout the season.

   The Boxers will now take what they learned from the regional championship back to Forest Grove as they continue preparing for the remainder of their season. With a combination of experienced seniors, returning All-NWC players and younger athletes gaining early tournament experience, Pacific has an opportunity to build throughout the 2026-27 campaign.

   For Pacific, the ITA Northwest Regional Championship was more than an early-season tournament. It was an opportunity to measure up against their regional competition, gain experience in high-level individual matches and begin establishing the foundation for the season ahead.

   “I think our biggest strides this off season will actually be made off the court,” said Coach Murata. “I always tell my players to take yoga, dance, tai chi, CrossFit, etc as I truly believe we need to learn complete control over every part of our bodies to be successful. When I took up CrossFit as a player it helped me not only get fitter, but I learned how to access smaller muscles and be conscious about the kinetic chain in the body/how everything works together.” He continued, “on the court I want them to continue to find their identities as players and really hone in on that. Tennis is a sport without positions (like in basketball or football) so sometimes it can be hard to figure out your win conditions or what you should be working on. This just comes with playing more tournaments and actually reflecting on what worked/what didn’t. I’m excited for the Spring season and I look forward to making history.”