Babson College senior Matia Cristiani (San Salvador, El Salvador) and first-year Sandra Sikharulidze (Kyiv, Ukraine), as well as MIT's Saina Desphande (Pune, India) and Fiona Lee (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) added to their postseason awards haul with Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-America singles honors. Cristiani and Sikharulidze also earned doubles recognition. 

Cristiani became the first player in program history to be recognized as an All-American in both singles and doubles in each of her four seasons, while Sikharulidze joined Cristiani and Olivia Soffer '25 as one of just three players to be honored in both disciplines in the same year. 

The most decorated player in program history, Cristiani capped her career by becoming the Beavers' first NCAA singles champion last month. The Honda Award finalist for women's tennis, ITA Division III and Northeast Region Senior Player of the Year, and NEWMAC Player of the Year, Cristiani registered 34 straight-set wins on the way to finishing the 2025-26 campaign with a perfect 37-0 record in singles. 

Additionally, Cristiani was 38-3 in all doubles matches and set new single-season records for singles, doubles, and combined victories (75). She also holds the career marks in singles (117), doubles (121), and combined wins (238). 

Cristiani went 16-0 at number one singles and beat 15 opponents that finished among the top 20 in the final ITA Division III rankings. She also claimed the program's first ITA Cup singles championship with four consecutive straight-set wins and captured her second ITA New England Championships singles crown back in the fall. 

Sikharulidze put together one of the best rookie seasons in program history going 26-5 while reaching the NCAA singles semifinals. She went 17-0 in dual matches and broke Cristiani's freshman record for singles wins (24) while also going 37-4 in all doubles matches. 

Sikharulidze, who earned All-NEWMAC honors in both singles and doubles, defeated three top-16 opponents and concluded the year ranked eighth in singles by the ITA. Her 63 combined victories are the most by a rookie and second on Babson's single-season list behind only Cristiani. 

Along with their success in singles, Cristiani and Sikharulidze came together to form one of the top doubles pairings in the country going 37-3 and advancing to the NCAA doubles final. The duo went 19-0 at number one doubles, captured the Beavers' second ITA New England Championships doubles title and reached the second round of the ITA Cup. 

Cristiani and Sikharulidze, who ended the year ranked second by the ITA, won 23 straight matches from October 16 through May 24 before suffering a three-set loss in the NCAA doubles final. The championship match was the fourth in a row for Cristiani, who captured back-to-back doubles national titles with Soffer in 2024 and 2025. 

The Engineers earned All-American accolades for the fifth year in a row. 
 
Competing in the 2026 NCAA Division III Singles Championship last month, Deshpande defeated No. 2 seed Maegan Deng of Redlands, 6-3, 6-0, in the first round. She then fell to Lia Melvin of Johns Hopkins, 7-5, 6-2, in the second round.
 
The All-America honor comes after Deshpande was named the ITA Northeast Region Most Improved Player.

Lee competed at the ITA Cup, becoming only the third person in program history to qualify for the cup. 

As the No. 2 seed, Lee defeated Nana Vang of Whitman College, 6-0, 6-3, in the opening round on Thursday morning before falling to Ika Raju Kanumuri of Carnegie Mellon University, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

Lee wrapped up the tournament by topping No. 3 seed Izabele Antanavicius of Emory University, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, in the North bracket semifinal. 

The selection criteria for Division III All-Americans are the following: top 8 seed in the NCAA singles tournament, win one round at the NCAA singles tournament, finish in the Top 20 in the final ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings, win the ITA Fall Regional Tournament, or win a first-round match at the ITA National Small College Championships (ITA Cup). All-American honors are awarded to doubles teams that are a top 4 seed in the NCAA doubles tournament, win one round at the NCAA doubles tournament, finish in the Top 10 in the final ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings, win the ITA Fall Regional Tournament, or win a first-round match at the ITA National Small College Championships.

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.