DAVIS, Calif. – Bjorn Hoffmann came away from the Aggie Invitational with his first collegiate title and became the latest Golden Bear to win in the UC Davis tournament, as the California freshman won the Singles A final on Sunday at the Marya Welch Tennis Center. He defeated Portland's Mathieu Garcia, 7-6(6), 1-6, 7-6(3).
 
Also playing for some hardware on Sunday, fellow Cal freshman Nic Barretto lost in the Singles B final to Eli Whittle of UC Davis, 7-6(5), 6-2.
 
Hoffmann kept alive Cal's tradition of winning the top singles crown in Davis. Last year current junior J.T. Nishimura won it and in 2015 Mads Engsted – who graduated after the 2015-16 season – was the Aggie Invitational champion. Additionally, a Golden Bear has appeared in five straight top-flight singles finals in Davis, as Engsted lost in the 2014 Aggie Invitational final, while Gregory Bayane won the 2012 title.
 
"Bjorn and Nic played some high-quality tennis all weekend," Cal head coach Peter Wright said. "I was pleased to see Bjorn retaining the singles title after being behind in the third set. He played some gutsy tennis to even the score and eventually win the tiebreaker. Even though Nic lost in the final of the B flight, he played with a tremendous amount of heart.
 
"Overall, the performances from all of our guys this weekend shows the tremendous depth our team has this year."
 
Another group of Golden Bears will compete in the Saint Francis Health System ITA All-American Men's Championships, starting with qualifying matches on Monday in Tulsa, Oklahoma.