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Josh Barber

#17 Men’s Tennis Secures Third Seed In Upcoming NESCAC Tournament

The #17 Middlebury men's tennis team has earned the third seed in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament hosted by Wesleyan on the Wood Memorial Tennis Courts.
 
ABOUT MIDDLEBURY
  • The program is making its 24th appearance in the NESCAC Tournament.
  • Middlebury has claimed 12 NESCAC crowns, which ranks second all-time behind Williams (16). The Panthers have secured four of the last five conference championships, including a 4-1 triumph over Bowdoin last spring.
  • The navy and white sport a 30-8 record in NESCAC Tournament action. The Polar Bears are second with 22 triumphs.
  • Amherst, Middlebury and Williams each tallied a 7-3 mark in conference play. After numerous tiebreaking procedures had been exhausted, including head-to-head decisions in the regular season, the Panthers were tabbed the third seed for the fourth time (2013, 2018, 2019).
  • The squad closed the regular season 13-4 and tallied seven or more conference victories for the fifth-straight campaign. 
PANTHERS TO WATCH
  • Julian Wu has seen the most action at the top spot, sporting a team-best 11-3 record in singles action this spring. The Panther also recorded his 80th career win (80-23) against Bowdoin and owns a four-match winning streak heading into the weekend. In doubles, Wu and teammate Noah Lewis are 14-9.
  • Lewis has an 11-9 overall mark with five triumphs at #2 and a pair in the top slot during solo action. 
  • Thehan Wijemanne has battled in the second and third positions of the lineup this spring. He recently tallied his 40th career singles triumph and is the third Panther with double-digit wins at 10-4.
  • In his second campaign, Reif Larsen has recorded seven singles victories this calendar year and is one triumph shy of 25 in a Middlebury uniform. Four of those wins have come from the fourth slot.
  • Hugh Hentschel has put together a strong senior season, totaling 25 victories across singles and doubles play. He is tied for the squad lead with 11 wins during individual action, with seven coming in the fifth position. The Panther has teamed with Andrew Yim to solidify the #3 flight in doubles (8-4).
  • In his initial campaign, Yim sits with 12 wins and played in all but the top spot, while Anand Sahasrabudhe has amassed 10 victories in dual matches. 
ABOUT WESLEYAN
  • Wesleyan is making its 15th appearance in the NESCAC Tournament and seeks its initial league championship.
  • The Cardinals finished the regular season with a 7-9 record and a 5-5 mark in conference action.
  • Wesleyan is looking to make the semifinals for the third time in program history.
CARDINALS TO WATCH
  • Ryuto Saito leads the squad with 13 wins during singles play, with six at #2 and four in the top spot. He has teamed with Chase Kasday for six triumphs in the second doubles flight.
  • Harry Collomb and Chase Burke have played at #1 doubles this season, tallying five wins during spring competition. In singles, Burke has secured 12 triumphs, while Collomb has six victories.
  • Tommy Jani is tied with Saito for the team lead this calendar year with 10 successful decisions and has a 6-1 record at #5 during individual action. 
  • Brett Keeling and Max Litton are strong performers for Wesleyan. Keeling is 8-5 this spring with multiple triumphs at #2, #3 and #5, while Litton has tallied six dual-match victories with four in the sixth flight. The tandem is 11-4 overall and 8-2 in NESCAC action in the third doubles spot. 
SERIES HISTORY
  • Middlebury and Wesleyan meet for the second installment this spring and the 36th time. The Cardinals hold a narrow 19-16 edge in the all-time series.
  • The Panthers have won the last seven meetings and eight of the last nine, including a 5-2 decision on March 8 in Connecticut
  • The programs have played twice in the NESCAC Tournament, with Middlebury claiming both installments during the 2016 (5-2) and 2019 (5-3) semifinals. 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
  • This year's NESCAC Tournament will feature four ranked squads alongside Middlebury in #4 Tufts, #11 Bowdoin, #18 Amherst and #21 Williams. 
  • The Jumbos come in as the top overall seed with a 19-2 mark and 10-0 slate in conference action. It is the third time in the last four campaigns that Tufts has gone unblemished in NESCAC regular-season action.
  • The Jumbos look to grab their first championship since 1989 and fourth overall.
  • Second-seeded Bowdoin vies for its fifth NESCAC championship and first since the 2018 edition.
  • Fourth-seeded Williams and fifth-seeded Amherst have claimed multiple league crowns. The Ephs are in pursuit of their league-best 17 and first since 2021, while the Mammoths sport five and vie for their initial championship in 12 years. 
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
  • The top eight seeds in the conference qualify for the NESCAC Men's Championship held at Wesleyan. Quarterfinal matches will occur on Friday, May 1, with the winners advancing to the semifinals on Saturday, May 2. The two semifinal winners will play for the championship on Sunday, May 3 at 11:00 a.m.
  • Championship Central
The conference champion secures an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship. The rest of the field will be revealed on Monday, May 4 at 12:30 p.m.
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