Easter weekend brought a historic high for the Orange and Blue as men’s tennis competed at home in the Patriot League tournament. After battling teams Lafayette and Lehigh in the quarter- and semifinals, the Bison battled it out on Sunday against Navy, taking a 4-1 win that gave them the Patriot League title. This is the first time the team has won it since 1991 and the first time defeating the Midshipmen in all 53 program matchups against them. “It feels unreal. To be part of such a historic moment for the program is an honor,” Adam Stavrakas ’26 shared. “We’ve all worked so hard this season, and to see that effort pay off in this way is incredibly rewarding.”
The weekend started strong for the Bison, as they were ranked as the No. 2 seed going into the tournament. On Friday, they faced off against Lafayette in the quarter finals. The match ended quickly as the squad swept the Leopards 4-0. Liam Kilmer ’27 and Will Robinson ’27 won the first doubles match 6-1, with Amar Tahirovic ’26 and Brendan McDonald ’26 following right after. It only took three singles wins to finish the match, which Tahirovic, Stavrakas and McDonald quickly answered with two-set sweeps.
The Bison picked right back up on Saturday as they faced Lehigh in the semifinals. Despite weather delays and the Mountain Hawks’ 3-seed, the Orange and Blue persevered to blank 4-0 once again. Tahirovic and McDonald won their doubles match 7-5, and Stavrakas and Oscar Bain Moreno de Vega ’26 clinched the point by defeating their opponents 6-4. In singles, Tahirovic and Stavrakas continued their stellar performances all season by winning their matches 6-2, 6-2 and 6-1, 7-5, respectively. McDonald delivered the final victory with a 6-3, 6-3 score, resulting in the Bison playing in the championship match for the first time against Navy on Sunday. “It’s always a good feeling to end the match on my racket,” McDonald said. “I would never be in this spot without the hard work of my teammates, too.”
Despite the Bison’s loss against the Midshipmen a few weeks ago, the team rallied to give everything on the court. Sunday started rough as Navy won the first point in doubles. “We definitely were hoping to win the doubles point and potentially make life easier for ourselves, but after dropping it, we still believed we could win any and all singles matches,” Head Coach Jason Cohen noted. “In our team huddle, we just inspired each other to fight and this was the last stand for our season, so we were willing to die out there on court to get the win.”
The Orange and Blue finished the day excelling at singles. Stavrakas won his match in two 6-1 sets. His success in doubles and singles won him the Joe Abrahamson Memorial Award, which goes to the most valuable player in the championship match. “It was honestly a complete surprise to me; I’m incredibly grateful,” Stavrakas said. “It wasn’t really something I had in mind going into this weekend, but it means a lot to be recognized in that way. I’ve always just tried to support the team, give my best and win my matches, so this felt like a really meaningful bonus to an unforgettable weekend.”
Tahirovic also found success with a 6-2, 6-0 victory. Kilmer stepped up and defeated his Navy opponent, whom he had lost to just weeks before (6-2, 6-3). While two other courts were still competing, all eyes turned to Bain as he secured the match point in his singles play, 6-3, 6-2. His victory claimed one for the whole team as the Bison now beat the Midshipmen 4-1, giving them the conference title. “It felt great to be able to win the last point of the tournament while all my friends were watching,” Bain shared. “I was honestly not very nervous before the point, it was more of an excitement to play it and hopefully be able to bring the trophy home, especially with all my teammates watching and encouraging me.”
This victory also punched the team its first-ever ticket to the NCAA tournament. Currently tied for the program record of most team wins in a season, the Bison will wait for bracket announcements on April 28 to find out their next opponent in the postseason.
