The #5 Middlebury men’s tennis team gets its spring season underway on Saturday, March 1 when it hosts #18 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Saint Michael’s. The Panthers are coming off their 14th-straight NCAA Semifinal appearance and are seeking the program’s fourth national championship. Middlebury returns a core group from the NCAA Tournament lineup from a year ago, while welcoming a pair of rookies to the roster.

Captains Neel Epstein and Noah Laber have been mainstays in the Panther lineup for their careers. Epstein enters the season ranked fifth all-time in the record books in both singles (64) and doubles (69) victories. The senior was an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American and All-NESCAC First Team honoree last spring, having played at #1 doubles and #4 singles a year ago. He competed in the NCAA Doubles Championship in May, and the ITA Cup (singles) this past fall. Laber held down the #1 singles spot last year, earning ITA All-American and All-NESCAC Second Team accolades. 

Hugh Hentschel and Thehan Wijemanne were a formidable duo, playing at both #2 and #3 a season ago. The pair earned ITA All-American honors for the first time and paced the squad with 18 triumphs. Hentschel and Wijemanne capped the season with an 8-2 mark over the last 10 matches, including three victories in the NCAA Tournament. The tandem claimed the 2023 ITA Regional Doubles Championship and participated at the ITA Cup that season.

Julian Wu continued his dominant career in the navy and white last season, earning ITA All-American and All-NESCAC First Team accolades, as well as earning a spot at the NCAA Singles Championships. The Panther had a team-high 26 triumphs last year, and owns 51 wins in his career against just 11 losses. Wu also sported a 22-6 mark in doubles action, primarily at #3. Solidifying a spot in the lineup as a rookie, Noah Lewis settled into the sixth position and posted a 17-5 mark in singles play. The Panther played a pivotal role in Middlebury knocking off #5 Emory 5-4 in NCAA Quarterfinals last year, coming from down a set to secure the winning point. 

Thomson returns for his sixth year at the helm of the program and is joined again by assistant coach Tristan Kaye who was tabbed the ITA Northeast Region Coach of the Year a season ago.