BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Bowdoin College men's tennis team returns to the national quarterfinals for the first time since 2019 on Saturday morning when they battle rival Middlebury at 9 a.m. on the U.S. Tennis Association National Campus in Orlando, Fla. The 2016 national champions are looking to claim their second national title overall.
The winner of Saturday's national quarterfinal will advance to the national semifinals on Monday at noon, followed by the national championship match Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. Complete coverage, including live scoring and webcast links, will be available throughout the week at the
Championship Homepage.
Polar Bear Preview
- Conor Smith, the program's most successful coach, has led Bowdoin to six of its seven NCAA Quarterfinal appearances, two NESCAC championships, and the 2016 Division III crown. In his eleventh season with the Polar Bears, Smith has a career record of 169-53 (.761 winning percentage).
- Tristan Bradley was named the New England Small College Athletic Conference Player of the Year, becoming the fourth player to earn the honor and first since Division III singles national champion Grant Urken in 2019. The junior is 25-4 at the No. 1 spot for the Polar Bears and is 15-9 at the No. 1 doubles position with playing partner Reid Staples.
- Bradley and Staples were both named entrants for the Division III individual singles tournament and doubles championship.
- Pieter Breuker and Mark Kneiss each claimed 14 wins in Bowdoin's spring season, playing in the middle of the lineup for the Polar Bears. They enter the quarterfinals as Bowdoin's hottest duo, both riding five-match winning streaks.
- The lone senior on the team, Evan Fortier, has dominated the bottom of the ladder for Bowdoin, going 10-1 at the number six spot.
- Bowdoin's most successful doubles pairing this spring has been Ethan Bradley and Breuker, who have won a team-best 14 doubles matches in the second semester and 17 overall dating back to the fall campaign.
Against the Quarterfinalists
- Middlebury – split two matches earlier this season (including NESCAC Championship); have faced each other twice in NCAA title match, Bowdoin winning in '16 and Middlebury in '18
- Case Western Reserve – Bowdoin leads series 2-0, haven't played since 2018
- Gustavus Adolphus – Bowdoin leads 2-0 all-time, both matches coming in 2022.
- Claremont Mudd Scripps – CMS leads series 7-2 all-time, last meeting came in 2019 NCAA quarterfinals won by CMS, 5-2
- Washington University – Bowdoin leads series 2-0, including 5-0 win in 2018 quarterfinals.
- Tufts – Tufts has won last two meetings after losing 13 of previous 14 to Bowdoin. Jumbos won regular season match, 5-4, earlier this season.
- Emory – Emory leads series 4-2, but teams have only played once in last six years; a 5-4 Bowdoin win in 2022.
