Gus Tettamble and Luis Jose Nakamine etched their names in Abilene Christian sports history this past week, winning the doubles championship at the ASUN Men’s Tennis Individual Tournament.

The Wildcat duo, who are also roommates, won convincingly in the semifinals over Eastern Kentucky. They then battled back from a difficult 6-1 hole in the championship match against West Florida to claim the title, becoming the first ACU pair to win the tournament.

They will take their talents on the road to the ITA Conference Masters in Georgia, Thursday through Sunday, for a chance at an NCAA championship later in November.

“It wasn’t about tennis,” Nakamine, the junior transfer from Baylor, said. “We weren’t playing bad, but it was just like, that energy was making a big difference. The celebration was really fun.”

Tettamble, a redshirt senior, said that while it was a bit of a fever dream, the memory came back once they won.

“I do remember the last point really well,” Tettamble said. “Feeling like, wow, we really did that. We were not looking good for a while, and then we celebrated accordingly.”

For Nakamine, the championship meant more than adding an accolade to his name; instead, he said he valued the experience of being able to bounce back and find their groove alongside Tettamble while representing the purple and white.

“Winning the tournament means a lot, having a trophy and getting the title,” Nakamine said. “But besides that, the moment and how much fun I am having. Playing doubles not only with him but also with my teammates … that’s what I take most.”

Tettamble agreed, emphasizing what it means to play for Abilene Christian after spending his first four years at Tulsa.

“This school means a lot to us,” Tettamble said. “We love our teammates, we love our coaches, we love the school. To be able to reach these goals for the school and represent our team and our school is pretty exciting.”

The duo said their success this season has come mostly from being roommates before teammates.

“We’re roommates, so we spend a lot of time together,” Tettamble said. “There’s a lot of balance. We can be messing around one second, and the next minute we’re super motivated, focused and ready to go.”

But they say when it’s time to cook dinner or lounge around their apartment, oftentimes, tennis will be the last thing they talk about. Instead, they say jokes and laugh, which they say is the dynamic that helps them perform on the court.