In a rain-soaked weekend that will go down in Middlebury athletics history, the women’s tennis team finally broke through with their first-ever NESCAC Championship, defeating four-time defending champion Wesleyan University 4–1 on their home turf. An hour later, the men’s team completed an improbable championship run of their own at home, adding a 12th NESCAC title to their collection.
For the women, the victory marks a watershed moment after coming tantalizingly close in years past — losing in the semifinals last season and falling in the finals for three consecutive years before that.
“Part of us had that underdog mentality,” Co-captain Sahana Raman ’25 said. “But we played well against them during the regular season, so we were like, ‘Okay, we have nothing to lose — we can beat them because we did before.’”
The women had a 4–0 sweep of Hamilton College in Friday’s quarterfinals, a 4–1 victory over Amherst College in Saturday’s semifinals and a historic win against Wesleyan on Sunday. Due to rain, the final was moved indoors, creating a unique scenario for the moment of triumph. The team was split across two separate banks of courts, leaving players unable to see what was happening on the other side.
For Co-captain Nina Farhat ’25, who ultimately clinched the championship point, this meant a moment of delayed jubilation.
“It was a little janky,” she recalled. “We were split on courts, and I ended up being the player that clinched the match overall. When I won the point, I actually had no idea that I clinched the match because I didn’t know what was happening at all on the other side.”
What followed was a moment of pure confusion turned elation as teammates one-by-one emerged from behind a curtain and the other courts to celebrate.
“Nathalie was on the bench next to me with two other teammates watching,” Farhat said. “She knew I was getting close to winning the championship point, and she texted them not to come onto the court because she knew — and she was totally right — if all of them just came onto my court at once, I would have realized I clinched the match and totally could have choked.”
The celebration that followed captured four years of pent-up desire.
For the senior class that includes Farhat, Raman, Claudia Miller ’25, and Nathalie van der Reis ’25, this victory represents the culmination of a four-year journey marked by near-misses and coaching changes.
After Rachel Kahan left the program before the 2021 season, Rob Barr — who was assistant coach under Kahan — served as interim coach for the 2021–22 season, the seniors’ freshman year. The women’s team finally found their rhythm this year under first-year head coach Olivia Leavitt. At just 28, Leavitt is the youngest women’s tennis coach in the NESCAC, but she brought exactly what the program needed: stability and a shared vision that aligned with the team’s values.
“Every single year our team has felt entirely different,” Farhat said. “We’ve had a lot of head coaching changes, so it was kind of hard for us to almost find this cultural team identity. We’ve had so many ups and downs, so many changes, so many transitions. It’s kind of hard for us to walk in, just focus on the tennis, and just play our best.”
Farhat and Raman both noted that the addition of three energetic freshmen — Gusty Beveridge ’28, Elizabeth Doak ’28 and Elsie Van Wieren ’28 — alongside their new coach has made a huge difference.
“These three freshmen came in with a ton of energy, so excited to compete,” Farhat said. “We finally had some normalcy, especially with coaching, and then my whole class of us four girls as captains as well.”
In a remarkable coincidence, Leavitt’s final collegiate match as a player at Brandeis University was a loss to Wesleyan on the very same courts where Middlebury clinched their championship.
“It was a really beautiful full circle that we were able to get the NESCAC title under her leadership, but also we beat the school that took her out in her final team match at these exact courts,” Farhat noted.
The tournament also featured another full-circle moment between Raman and Farhat, who grew up playing doubles together as juniors.
“We’ve known each other since we were 12 and actually played doubles together when we were younger for a few years,” Raman said. “She’s literally one of my best friends. We live together. She knows when I’m super nervous and how to hype me up.”
While the women were making history at Wesleyan, the men’s team was crafting their own remarkable story at home. Entering as the fifth seed after an up-and-down regular season, they stunned the conference by defeating three teams — Williams, Tufts and Bowdoin — that had beaten them earlier in the year.
“We didn’t have super high expectations,” Co-captain Noah Laber ’25 said. “We didn’t really have any hard-set goals on winning anything this year in a way that we had before. We just sort of wanted to do our best and enjoy the season.”
This relaxed approach paid off as the Panthers dispatched Williams 4–0 in the quarterfinals before pulling off their biggest upset in Saturday’s semifinals, knocking off top-seeded and third-ranked Tufts 4–3.
A critical win came against Tufts in the semifinals by senior captain Neel Epstein ’25.
“Neel was playing someone who historically has had a pretty good record against him,” Laber said. “He ended up pulling off a pretty big comeback and winning a lot of really important points. I think without him winning that match, I don’t think we would have won in the semi.”
The momentum carried into Sunday’s final against third-seeded Bowdoin, a team that has developed into Middlebury’s fiercest rival. The intensity was palpable inside Nelson, where the sound of cheers echoed off the walls.
At one point, after winning a point, Laber silenced heckling Bowdoin players with a finger to his lips.
“Bowdoin is really not my favorite team,” he admitted. “We don’t really get along with a lot of their players. We’ve played them in a lot of big matches in the NCAA tournament as well. The rowdiness is sort of what makes it fun, but at some point, when they’re shouting between serves or making absurd comments, it’s a little annoying.”
Despite playing through a wrist injury, Julian “Juju” Wu ’26 clinched the championship with a 6–4, 6–3 win at #2 singles. The injury forced Wu to adapt his game style and rely heavily on slice backhands rather than his usual two-handed technique.
Unlike Farhat’s experience, Wu was fully aware of the significance of his match point, as his team lined up on the side of the court watching his final points. “It was awesome to have that moment, to kind of clinch NESCACs,” Wu said. “But you know, it’s not just my moment, it’s the full team’s moment. We all worked hard this spring and throughout the season. It just ended up falling on my racket at the end there.”
The championships held special meaning for families who traveled from across the country. Laber’s father flew in from California for the weekend, not knowing if it would be his son’s final collegiate matches. From the Chicago suburbs, the Kondamuri family made the journey to witness their son Nikky Kondamuri ’27 help secure the crucial doubles point in the final.
“They all fought so hard,” said Shaun Kondamuri, Nikki’s father. “What’s so cool is we lost to all three teams in season. And then they beat Williams, they beat Tufts, they beat Bowdoin. It’s really a big win — they really dug deep and won.”
Both teams are now preparing for the NCAA Tournament. The women will host regional rounds this weekend at Middlebury, having received a first-round bye. They’ll play their opening match on Saturday in the second round, and if they advance, they’ll compete in Sunday’s regional final with a chance to reach the national quarterfinals in California.
The men’s team will travel to Johns Hopkins for their regional matches.
“We got a pretty decent draw in regionals,” Laber said. “Johns Hopkins is definitely tough, but some other teams, like Amherst, are having to go back and play Tufts again, which is definitely harder. I think we feel pretty good about our chance to make California.”
As both teams ride the momentum of their historic NESCAC championship weekend, they’ve certainly won over fans eager to see how far their season will go. For Middlebury students still on campus, this weekend presents a perfect opportunity to come out and support the women’s team as they continue their historic season.
Ting Cui '25.5 (she/her) is the Business Director.
Ting previously worked as Senior Sports Editor and Staff Writer and continues to contribute as a Sports Editor. A political science major with a history minor, she interned at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. as a policy analyst and op-ed writer. She also competed as a figure skater for Team USA and enjoys hot pilates, thrifting, and consuming copious amounts of coffee.
