By Eddie Young
Sports Editor
Sixth year nursing major Matt Michibata claimed the 2023 ITA Northeast Regional Division III Men’s Tennis single’s championship last weekend, while also winning the 2023 ITA Northeast Regional Men’s Tennis double’s championship with his partner, sophomore finance major Harrison Maitland-Carter.
“It feels incredible and surreal, but at the same time, it didn’t come as a complete surprise,” Michibata said. “After our experience at the NCAAs in Florida, we realized we had what it took to beat any team in the nation if we stuck to our game and executed well enough.”
Michibata was purely dominant during his championship run in the singles tournament. He won his first and second round matches 8-5, and from the round of 16 on, when the matches switched from one set to best of three sets, he did not drop a single set. On Oct. 2, he was able to claim his singles title as he defeated Okada Tsubasa of RPI in the championship in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5.
“Singles was even more rewarding to win because it was always something I was much less confident in,” Michibata said about his tournament win. “Seeing everything finally come together in my singles game has given me so much confidence and satisfaction.”
As he was commanding the singles tournament, Michibata also teamed up with Maitland-Carter to make a championship run in the doubles tournament. The duo entered the weekend as the top seeded doubles pairing in the region, and their play proved that ranking correct. They handled business in their first three rounds, winning 8-2, 8-0 and 8-3, respectively.
A pair from Vassar provided a scare to Michibata and Maitland-Carter, but the College’s duo was able to pull out a nail-biting 8-7 (7-5) victory to send them into the finals. In the final on Sunday, Oct.1, the two Lions were able to knock off a duo from RPI in straight sets, winning 7-6 (3), 6-3, officially earning them the doubles championship.
Michibata is the first member of the College to win the regional singles championship since Matthew Klimchak won it as a senior 16 years ago in 2007. Michibata and Maitland-Carter also became the first pairing to win the regional doubles championship for the college.
“It was pretty cool to learn that we were the school’s first to win this tournament,” Maitland-Carter said. “We played super well all weekend and the semifinal matchup was tough, but once we were able to get through that it almost felt as if there was no pressure going into the final.”
Michibata and Maitland-Carter will be able to continue their fall season, as they will travel to Rome, Georgia to compete in the ITA Division III Cup, which will begin on Oct. 12. This will be the second appearance in the ITA Cup for Michibata, as he qualified for the singles tournament in 2020 when he lost in the regional finals. This will be Maitland-Carter’s first ITA Cup appearance.
These titles, along with an appearance in the ITA Cup, add to an already impressive resume for Michibata in his six years at the College. His run over the weekend gave him his 72nd doubles win, which broke Klimchak’s record of 69 wins. The win in the singles championship was his 135th win in singles and doubles matches, which is fourth all time at the college.
“Overall, it feels incredibly rewarding to finally see the results of my hard work paying off, even if it took six years at the college,” Michibata said.
