By Jhett Laurie
Staff Writer
The College’s women's tennis team captured their 43rd consecutive New Jersey Athletic Conference championship. They defended their historic streak by taking down Rutgers-Camden to extend the longest continuous conference championship streak in NCAA history. Men’s tennis looks to capture their first ever Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. They are taking on University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for the fifth year in a row. The team looks to turn the tide and capture their second ever win against UW-Whitewater.
The men's team defeated Rutgers-Camden in the semi-finals in a decisive 7-0 victory on April 18. The Lions gave up only one game, with every match ending in favor of the team. Rutgers-Camden only brought five players to the match, falling short of the necessary six to run every contest.
This resulted in only two doubles matches and five singles, handing the Lions two free matches. The senior pair of Asa Wong and Harrison Maitland-Carter as well as junior Nathan Chan and senior Alberto Thomas both secured their respective doubles win. In the singles category, Chan, Maitland-Carter, Thomas, freshman Faris Shehata, and junior Aidan Twamley all won their matches.
The team also took on Stevens April 24 and fell 3-4. The Lions got up early, taking a 1-0 lead after sweeping Stevens in doubles matches. Senior Brett Schuster and Shehata secured two victories for the Lions, putting them one match away from victory.
The Ducks pulled off the impossible, rallying from a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 deficit by securing four consecutive singles victories. Twamley made a valiant effort, taking the final match into a tiebreaker; however, he was not able to overcome his opponent, as the College fell 4-3 in their final match before the WIAC Championship.
The College takes on UW-Whitewater on May 2 in Whitewater, Wi.
The women’s tennis team extended their record against NJAC opponents to 231-0. They have won every single NJAC women's tennis championship since 1983 (only six years after the first-ever high five).
The pair of junior Gabriella Robinson and sophomore Elizabeth Ring secured a 6-0 bagel, followed by junior Zoey Albert and sophomore Shruti Mannan taking down the pair of Gabby Albert and Bella Albert.
Robertson got another point for the team with a 6-0, 6-0 double-bagel, followed by senior Eleni Dakos securing a 6-0 bagel, followed by a 6-1 breadstick. Ring sealed the win with another double-bagel.
The continued run of dominance from the Lions sounds fake, but head coach Scott Dicheck has the women’s tennis squad extending their rule for a fourth straight decade. To put it into perspective, the last time the College didn’t win the NJAC, Dicheck had yet to graduate from middle school.
With that being said, the Lions are looking to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament after getting shutout in the second round in the 2024-2025 season. Despite their unparalleled greatness in-conference, the College is seeking their first NCAA Title since 1986.
The first round of the NCAA Tournament begins on May 8.
