The fourth-ranked Middlebury men's tennis team will make its 20th-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament when it competes in a regional hosted by Johns Hopkins from May 5-7. On Saturday, the Panthers will take on the winner of Friday's opening-round match between Christopher Newport and Allegheny.
 
ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• The Panthers earned an automatic bid by winning their third-straight NESCAC title and 11th overall with a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over 11th-ranked Bowdoin.
• Middlebury is seeking its fourth NCAA Championship (2004, 2010, 2018).
• The program owns a 53-20 all-time record in NCAA Tournament play, marking the seventh-most victories in Division III history.
• The squad finished the regular season with an 8-2 mark in the NESCAC and enters NCAA play riding a five-match winning streak. Middlebury comes into the NCAA tournament with an overall record of 15-3, marking the ninth-consecutive season the program has posted 15 or more wins.
• The Panthers have played 11 nationally-ranked opponents this season, posting a 9-2 record.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Aidan Harris and Noah Laber have held down the top spot of doubles all year and are the fourth-ranked tandem in the Northeast region. The duo owns a 7-3 mark in NESCAC play and has won five-straight contests entering the NCAA Tournament, including three crucial points during the league championship.
• Teaming up at #2 have been Neel Epstein and Robby Ward. The tandem produced a six-match winning streak during the season and has won seven of their last 10 contests. 
• Julian Wu is having a phenomenal rookie campaign, posting a team-high 22 wins (22-3) including a 20-match winning streak. Competing at both #4 and #5 this season, he has claimed 13 of his 14 spring triumphs in straight sets. 
• The region's 12th-ranked player, Harris is 11-5 overall and has won six of his last eight matches including a crucial point in the NESCAC Championship final.  
• Playing in the middle of the lineup, Ward enters NCAA action riding a nine-match winning streak. The captain owns a 14-2 record this spring and ranks second on the team with 20 victories (20-5).
• Zihao Yuan has an 11-3 record in the sixth slot for Middlebury, winning all three of his matches during the NESCAC Tournament. He has the highest number of career victories of any current Panther at 39-14. 
• Laber, the Northeast region's second-ranked player, has been a consistent presence in the top singles slot for the Panthers this season. He has amassed an impressive mark of 13-2. Laber claimed three points during the league's championship, highlighted by the clinching point against Bowdoin to secure the title. 

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

• RPI won the Liberty League championship, Lebanon Valley claimed the MAC Commonwealth title and Allegheny was victorious in the President's Athletic Conference championship match to earn automatic bids. Johns Hopkins and Christopher Newport garnered at-large berths in the tournament. 
• Johns Hopkins comes into NCAA play with an 18-4 record. The Blue Jays have qualified for the NCAA Championship every year since 2006 with an all-time record of 21-16. Hopkins features a trio of players in the Atlantic South regional rankings with Thomas Yu (#5), Hanyu Liu (#12) and Jonathan Zhang (#13). The duo of twin brothers James and Thomas Yu are fourth in doubles.
• Christopher Newport enters with a record of 10-8. The Captains are competing in their third NCAA Tournament and the first since 2017 (2008, 2017) with a 2-2 mark. Alec Strause is the 22nd-ranked singles player in the Atlantic South, while Strause and Bhuvanesh Kumaresan are slotted sixth as a tandem. 
• Allegheny has compiled a 17-4 record and is riding a seven-match winning streak. The Gators are taking part in their first NCAA Championship. The conference crown was the first men's tennis league title in 41 years. Anton Hedlund is the 22nd-ranked singles player in the Central region. 
• RPI is 13-6 overall this season and winners of nine of its last 10 matches. The Engineers are making their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament (2018, 2022) and have a 2-2 record. Aiden Drover-Mattinen is the 11th-ranked singles player in the Northeast region, while Drover-Mattinen and Andy Zhu are 15th as a team.
• Rounding out the regional is Lebanon Valley. The Dutchmen have won 11-straight matches and come into Friday's first-round match with a 17-3 record. Lebanon Valley is participating in its third NCAA Tournament (2009, 2022) and seeking its first victory (0-2).

SERIES HISTORY

• Middlebury and Allegheny played once in 1999, a 5-2 Panther regular-season victory.
• Middlebury and Johns Hopkins have played four times with three coming in the NCAA Regional Final. The Blue Jays picked up a 5-2 victory in 2012, while the Panthers claimed 5-1 triumphs in 2013 and 2018. The teams played on March 23 in California, with Middlebury edging Hopkins 5-4. 
• RPI and Middlebury have met 59 times with the Panthers owning a decisive 47-10-2 advantage. The two sides have never played in the NCAA Tournament.
• If Middlebury and Christopher Newport were to meet, it would be for the first time.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Friday, May 5 (First Round)
  • Christopher Newport vs. Allegheny
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute vs. Lebanon Valley
• Saturday, May 6 (Second Round)
  • #4 Middlebury vs. Winner of CNU/Allegheny
  • #10 Johns Hopkins vs. Winner of RPI/Lebanon Valley
• Sunday, May 7 (Regional Final)
  • Semifinal Winners
• NCAA Tournament Central
• NCAA Tournament Announcement