SURPRISE, Ariz. — The historic, record-breaking run for the Harding men's tennis team came to a close Wednesday afternoon in the Round of 16 at the NCAA Division II National Championship.
The No. 14-seeded Bisons battled fiercely but ultimately fell 4-0 to South Central Region powerhouse and No. 3 seed Lubbock Christian at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex. Harding ends its finest season of the NCAA era with a 17-8 dual match record.
While the team result favored the Chaps (23-5), the day featured a historic milestone at the top of the doubles lineup. Harding's No. 3-ranked duo of Cian Mikkelsen and Adrian Solorzano closed out their stellar careers in spectacular fashion, capturing a 6-4 victory over Lubbock Christian's No. 8-ranked tandem of Mattia Ghedin and Kelly Giese.
With the victory, Mikkelsen and Solorzano finished the season with an incredible 20-7 record as a pair.
The win also cemented Mikkelsen's place in the Harding record books. The senior collected his 24th doubles victory of the season, setting a new program record for the most doubles wins in a single season during the NCAA era (since 1997). Mikkelsen caps his time in Searcy with 69 career doubles victories, placing him third all-time in program history.
Lubbock Christian managed to secure the early 1-0 advantage by taking the remaining two doubles matches. The Chaps won 6-2 at No. 2, and despite a hard-fought push from Edoardo D'Arrigo and Sebastian De Las Salas at No. 3, LCU claimed a 6-4 win to clinch the doubles point. Harding's No. 2 team of Florian Gayme and Jan Alexander Has concluded the season 20-10.
In singles play, the Chaps showed why they are highly regarded as national title contenders, moving quickly on the back courts. LCU extended its lead to 3-0 with straight-set victories at No. 4 and No. 5 singles.
The match was decided at the No. 2 slot, where Lubbock Christian's No. 20-ranked Pablo Segura managed to hold off a furious second-set rally from Harding's De Las Salas, taking the match 6-1, 7-5 to secure the decisive fourth point.
When play was halted, the remaining Bisons were locked in highly competitive battles. At No. 1 singles, Solorzano had taken the opening set 6-3 against No. 4-ranked Kelly Giese before dropping the second set. At No. 6, Jan Alexander Has had won his first set 7-5 and was tied 5-5 in the second.
Though Wednesday's loss marks the end of the tournament trail, the 2026 Bisons under first-year head coach Craig Kirchgessner, leave Arizona having fundamentally rewritten the program's expectations. This season featured the program's first-ever NCAA tournament victory, its first trip to the national final site, and individual milestones that will stand for years to come.
Tennis Match Results
Harding vs Lubbock Christian May 20, 2026 at Surprise, Ariz. (Surprise Tennis + Racquet Club)
#3 Lubbock Christian 4, #14 Harding 0
Singles Competition
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#4 Kelly Giese (LCU) vs. #66 Adrian Solorzano (HU) 3-6, 6-4, 2-0, unfinished
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#20 Pablo Segura (LCU) def. Sebastian DeLasSalas (HU) 6-1, 7-5
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#57 Mattia Ghedin (LCU) vs. Cian Mikkelsen (HU) 7-6 (9-7), 2-1, unfinished
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#31 Andres De Los Rios (LCU) def. Luis Agullo (HU) 6-0, 6-2
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Marco Seccia (LCU) def. Caleb Folse (HU) 6-1, 6-3
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Hayden Loffler (LCU) vs. Jan Alexander Has (HU) 5-7, 5-5, unfinished
Doubles Competition
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#3 Cian Mikkelsen/Adrian Solorzano (HU) def. #8 Mattia Ghedin/Kelly Giese (LCU) 6-4
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#26 Andres De Los Rios/Pablo Segura (LCU) def. #27 Florian Gayme/Jan Alexander Has (HU) 6-2
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Marco Seccia/Andrea RossiPrincipe (LCU) def. #48 Edoardo D'Arrigo/Sebastian DeLasSalas (HU) 6-4
Match Notes:
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Harding: 17-8
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Lubbock Christian: 23-5
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Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (4,5,2)
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T: 2:20
