From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
The Case Western Reserve University men's tennis team traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the first-ever College Athlete Day hosted at the White House on Monday.
"I think that we knew that something special had happened in the past few weeks," said CWRU Head Coach Todd Wojtkowski. "But when we walked through that gate and stood on the South Lawn amongst the other National Championship Teams, it really did hit hard what the accomplishment really meant to the CWRU, Cleveland, and Northeastern Ohio community. What an incredible honor and unique experience for our men!"
The Biden administration invited every national champion from the past academic year, with 52 teams making the trip to the nation's capital. The White House frequently hosts champion teams from the world of sports, but College Athlete Day was the first time it hosted NCAA national champions from all three divisions.
Ten members of the CWRU men's tennis team attended the event, including Vishwa Aduru, Sahil Dayal, Casey Hishinuma, James Hopper, John Kasner, Ajay Mahenthiran, Diego Maza, Chris Provenzano, Ansh Shah, and Michael Sutanto, along with Wojtkowski.
"I never imagine that I would get to walk around on the White House lawn, but being invited by Vice President Harris and the Biden administration was something truly special that I will never forget," said Kasner, who graduated in May. "The invitation represents their dedication to showing how important collegiate sports are, not only to myself and my teammates but to so many people who commit their time to their respective sports."
The program included remarks from Vice President Kamala Harris. The full program can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd3Jhmc6ohk.
Later in the day, the Spartans were welcomed into the Capitol by Congressman Dave Joyce, the United States representative for Ohio's 14th congressional district.
The Spartans earned the invitation after winning the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship, capping off a historic season for the program with the first-ever NCAA team title in the history of CWRU Athletics. The Spartans set a program record with a 33-4 mark while winning the ITA Indoor National Championship for the second-straight year and the UAA Championship for the first time in program history.