Men's Tennis

Tufts Posts Second Straight 10-0 Conference Record to Earn No. 1 Seed in NESCAC Men's Tennis Tourney

HADLEY, Mass. – The Tufts Jumbos went unbeaten in conference play for the second year in a row and third time in four seasons to lock up the No. 1 seed for the 2026 NESCAC Men’s Tennis Championship. The Jumbos’ unbeaten mark is the eighth in NESCAC Men’s Tennis since 2007-08.

The top eight teams based on regular-season round-robin conference play qualified for the tournament. All matches will be played at Wesleyan University, with quarterfinals set for Friday, May 1. The semifinals will be played on Saturday, May 1 and the championship match is set for Sunday, May 3.
 
2025 NESCAC Championship Recap
The fifth-seeded Middlebury men's tennis team won the program's 12th NESCAC Men's Tennis Championship, defeating third-seeded Bowdoin, 4-1, at the Nelson Recreation Center on the Middlebury campus. The Panthers were the second straight No. 5 seed to win the NESCAC title, Bowdoin was the first No. 5 seed to capture the trophy in 2024.

NESCAC Championship History
Six programs have captured a NESCAC Men’s Tennis title. Williams leads the pack with 16 titles (last: 2021). The Middlebury Panthers own 12 championships, while Amherst has won six titles (last: 2014). Bowdoin claimed its fourth title in 2024 and Tufts (last: 1989) has won the conference crown three times. Bates claimed its lone NESCAC title in 1988.

From 2001, when the NESCAC formally became a playing conference, to 2005 the NESCAC Championship was played in a flighted format. The tournament moved to its current format of seeded teams in 2006.
 
No. 1 Tufts (19-2, 10-0 NESCAC) vs. No. 8 Bates (5-10, 3-7 NESCAC)
  • Tufts is the No. 1 seed for the second straight year and third time in four tournaments.
  • The Jumbos are making their 17th appearance in the NESCAC Championships since 2011 and have played in two of the last four championship matches.
  • Tufts will put its 13-match win streak on the line when it faces No. 8 Bates.
  • Bates has qualified for the tournament for the first time since 2023 and 15th time overall.
  • The Bobcats are the No. 8 seed for the first time in program history.
  • Bates is seeking its first NESCAC Quarterfinal win since 2013.
  • Tufts defeated Bates, 7-0, in the spring season opener on March 7.
  • The quarterfinal match marks the first meeting between the teams in the NESCAC Tournament.
No. 2 Bowdoin (15-3, 9-1 NESCAC) vs. No. 7 Colby (6-10, 4-6 NESCAC)
  • Bowdoin, the 2025 NESCAC Runners-Up, has qualified for the NESCAC Championship 23 times since 2001.
  • The Polar Bears are the No. 2 for the second time in four championships.
  • Bowdoin closed out the regular season winning seven straight matches.
  • Colby has qualified for the NESCAC Championship for the fifth year in a row and 11th time overall.
  • The Mules are the No. 7 seed for the second time in three years.
  • Colby is seeking to advance out of the first round for the first time since the championship moved to a seeded format in 2006.
  • Bowdoin blanked Colby, 7-0, on April 16. The Polar Bears and Mules are meeting for the first time in the NESCAC Tournament.
Tiebreaker: Middlebury, Williams, and Amherst finished with identical conference records of 7-3. After all tiebreakers were applied, a random action was used to determine that Middlebury earned the No. 3 seed. Williams was the next institution pulled to earn the No. 4 seed. Amherst was the last institution drawn to earn the No. 5 seed.
 
No. 3 Middlebury (13-4, 7-3 NESCAC) vs. No. 6 Wesleyan (7-9, 5-5 NESCAC)
  • Middlebury, the defending NESCAC Champion, is the No. 3 seed for the first time since 2019 and has qualified for its 24th NESCAC Tournament.
  • The Panthers enter the tournament having won three of their last four matches.
  • Wesleyan is the No. 6 seed for the second time in three years and has qualified for the NESCAC Championship for the ninth time in 10 seasons and the 15th time overall.
  • The Cardinals’ nine wins are the most since 2019, the last time Wesleyan reached the semifinals of the NESCAC Championship.
  • Middlebury won the regular-season match, 5-2, during the opening weekend of the spring season on March 8.
  • The Panthers own a 2-0 edge in the NESCAC Tournament series. The teams last met in the 2019 semifinals with Middlebury earning a 5-3 victory.
No. 4 Williams (11-5, 7-3 NESCAC) vs. No. 5 Amherst (12-5, 7-3 NESCAC)
  • Williams is the No. 4 seed for the second straight year and has qualified for every NESCAC Tournament (25 straight).
  • The Ephs started the spring season with five straight wins.
  • Amherst has qualified for 24 of the 25 NESCAC Championships and is the No. 5 seed for the first time since 2022.
  • Amherst looks to advance to the semifinals for the second consecutive season and third time in five tournaments.
  • The Mammoths enter the tournament having won four straight and seven of their last eight matches.
  • Amherst won the regular season match versus Williams, 4-3, on April 19. The NESCAC postseason series is knotted at 5-5 with the Ephs winning the last meeting, 5-1, in the 2023 quarterfinals.