The 11th-ranked Swarthmore College men's tennis team captured its second consecutive Centennial Conference (CC) title with a 5-3 victory over 15th-ranked Johns Hopkins University at the Michael Mullan Tennis Center on Sunday, May 5.

The Garnet have now compiled 21 wins this season, matching the program-leading mark set by the 1984 squad, and will look to add to the total in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Swarthmore has been named a regional site for the competition and will host the first three rounds of play. The Garnet have a first-round bye and will face off against the winner of a match between North Carolina Wesleyan University and Houghton University on Saturday, May 11 at a time to be announced. Earlier this season, Swarthmore picked up a narrow, 5-4 win over North Carolina Wesleyan University.

In the conference semifinals on May 3, the Garnet dispatched the Franklin & Marshall College Diplomats by a 5-1 score to set up a championship match against a familiar foe in the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays; the two teams have faced off in nine consecutive CC finals and 12 of the last 14.

Due to rain, the match was played indoors at the Mullan Tennis Center. Swarthmore jumped ahead with a decisive 8-3 victory at first doubles behind the team of Michael Melnikov ’26 and Utham Koduri ’26. The matches at second and third doubles each went to a tiebreak and Swarthmore took a 2-1 lead entering singles competition as Andrés Fente ’26 and Rushil Patel ’24 prevailed 8-7(4) at the second spot.

Max Lindstrom ’26 won in straight sets at second singles and Melnikov came back to win after dropping the first set, moving the Garnet one match away from clinching the championship. Lalith Suresh ’26 took care of business at sixth singles with a 6-3, 6-2 win and was named the Tournament MVP for his efforts.

In other spring sports action, the Swarthmore men’s lacrosse team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. The team will travel to Salisbury University to play Endicott College on Saturday, May 11, at 3:00 p.m.

For updated schedules, livestreams, and complete coverage of all postseason competition, visit the Swarthmore Athletics website.