TEMPE, Ariz. – A thrilling weekend of conference championship action saw heavyweights fall and newcomers shine, as postseason play was underway for conferences all across the country.
Both the No. 1 and No. 2 Men’s squads in Division I were upended, as top-ranked Wake Forest’s undefeated season came to an end at the hands of No. 5 Virginia in the ACC Championship semifinal, 4-3. No. 18 UCF tallied its biggest win in program history when it outdid No. 2 TCU, 4-3, to reach the Big 12 Championship final.
Another titan in college tennis fell, as the Georgia Women secured their three-peat and the 11th SEC Tournament title in team history by unseating No. 1 Texas A&M, 4-2, in Sunday’s final. With four conference titles in the last five seasons – all against the Aggies – the Bulldogs also joined Florida as the only two programs in SEC history to have two separate three-peats, a feat last accomplished in Athens from 2007-09.
In the reshaped Big 12, the Texas Tech Women earned their first tournament title since 2017, as the No. 1 Lady Raiders defeated No. 2 UCF, 4-2. Junior Yekaterina Dmitrichenko helped spur the championship run with a clean 5-0 record in both singles and doubles to earn the conference’s Most Outstanding Player of the tournament award.
UCF also made a bid for the title in the Men’s draw, but it was denied by Arizona, which was triumphant in its inaugural trip to the Big 12 Championships. Down 1-0 in the final to UCF, who the Wildcats had lost to twice this season by a 4-3 score, Arizona rallied and strung together four straight singles wins to clinch just their second conference tournament title in program history.
The Wildcats weren’t the only newcomers to make their presence known, as both the Stanford Men and Texas Men notched their first championship title in their new respective conferences. The Cardinal downed Virginia, 4-2, to win the ACC, while the Longhorns took control of the SEC with a 4-1 victory over South Carolina.
In the Big East Conference, it was the Xavier Women who prevailed as champions for the fifth-straight season. The Musketeers claimed their sixth conference crown in team history with their 4-0 win against Villanova.
Denver was the only school to capture both a men’s and women’s team title on the opening weekend of the Division I conference championships. The No. 1 DU Women beat No. 3 Omaha, 4-0, as they have now won the Summit League title in each of the 11 years that the tournament has been held since Denver joined the league in 2013. The No. 1 DU Men eased past No. 2 North Dakota, 4-0, to win a second consecutive conference title and the 10th in team history.
The Middle Tennessee Men continued their dynasty in the Conference USA with a sixth straight title on Sunday, thanks to a 4-0 shutout against Liberty.
The Buffalo Men were victorious in the Mid-American Conference for the first time since 2017, erasing a 2-0 deficit to beat Western Michigan, 4-2. It’s the third tournament championship in program history, all of which have been won under head coach Lee Nickell.
The Catawba Men and Women swept their way through the Division II South Atlantic Conference in dramatic fashion, as the Men trailed Wingate, 3-1, before three consecutive singles victories clinched their first tournament title since 2001. The Catawba Women won the conference for the second consecutive season thanks to a 4-2 victory against second-seeded Wingate.
After a packed weekend of postseason play, here’s who has already been crowned as conference champions across college tennis in the 2024-25 season.
Division I
Men
Rice (AAC), Stanford (ACC), North Alabama (ASUN), Arizona (Big 12), St. John’s (Big East), Gardner-Webb (Big South), Middle Tennessee (C-USA), Buffalo (MAC), Binghamton (NEC), Bucknell (Patriot League), Texas (SEC), Samford (SoCon), Alabama State (SWAC), Denver (Summit League), Old Dominion (SBC), Abilene Christian (WAC)
Women
Memphis (AAC), North Carolina (ACC), Stetson (ASUN), Texas Tech (Big 12), Xavier (Big East), Charleston Southern (Big South), FIU (C-USA), Bryant (OVC), Georgia (SEC), Furman (SoCon), Florida A&M (SWAC), Denver (Summit League), Grand Canyon (WAC)
Division II
Men
CUI (PacWest), Catawba (SAC), Spring Hill (SIAC)
Women
Willmington (CACC), New Haven (NE10), Point Loma (PacWest), Catawba (SAC), Tuskegee (SIAC)
Division III
Women
Penn State Behrend (AMCC), Hunter College (CUNY), Hartwick College (Empire 8), Colby-Sawyer (GNAC), UMass Dartmouth (LEC), Lesley (NAC), Allegheny (PAC), Farmingdale State (Skyline Conference)
For a complete list of all conference champions in the 2024-25 season, visit WeAreCollegeTennis.com.
