BRUNSWICK, Maine— Sophomore Kiran Garapati (Chicago, Ill.) and first-year Simon Catanzaro (Santa Monica, Calif.) posted wins in both singles and doubles as No. 7 Bowdoin College defeated No. 12 Babson College, 4-1, in the third round of the NCAA Division III men's tennis tournament Sunday afternoon at the Pickard Courts.
With wins in 11 of its last 12 matches, Bowdoin improves to 19-4 overall and advances to the national quarterfinals for the third time in four years. Babson, which defeated Bowdoin last year in the NCAA Tournament to move on to the quarterfinals for the first time in program history, had an eight-match winning streak snapped and completes its season at 19-5 overall.
First-year
Sourish Gadhi (Morganville, N.J.) provided the highlight for the Beavers with a straight set victory at number six singles to account for the only team point.
The Polar Bears broke on top with a pair of victories to secure the doubles point. Junior Aden Dorros
(Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) and senior Mick Tamas
(Portola Valley, Calif.) breezed past junior
Louis Bourn (Geneva, Switzerland) and first-year
Max Lidman (Stockholm, Sweden) at number six, 6-0, and Garapati and Catanzaro bested sophomores
Edward Wang (Burr Ridge, Ill.) and
Sebastian Mendoza (Weston, Fla.) at number two, 6-3. Senior Mark Kneiss (Athens, Greece) and junior Jackson Codd (Carlsbad, Calif.) were up on senior
Alexander Merson (Palisades Park, N.J.) and first-year
Maxim Zlobinsky (Greenvale, N.Y.) at number one, 5-3, when the Bowdoin point was secured.
Catanzaro extended the lead to 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Lidman at number five singles. Gadhi put the Beavers on the board with a 7-5, 6-2 decision over senior Andrew Mendelson (Los Angeles, Calif.), but the Polar Bears closed out the match with three-set wins by Codd over Zlobinsky at number three, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 and Garapati over Wang at number two, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Merson won the first set in a tiebreaker over Kneiss at number one, 7-6, but trailed 4-3 in the second set when play was stopped. Sophomore Cameron Zia (Washington, D.C.) won the first set over Mendoza at number four, 7-5, but trailed 6-5 in the second set.
Bowdoin will face No. 1 Chicago in the quarterfinals on May 19 at the Champions Tennis Club in Chattanooga, Tenn. Merson will compete in the NCAA Division III Singles Championships at the same location beginning May 22.
About the NEWMAC
The NEWMAC is an association of 13 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Saint Anselm College (beginning reclassification process with NCAA in 2027-28), Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 21 sports.