Signature wins: Playing a non-conference schedule against a slate of entirely nationally-ranked opponents before jumping into the always-challenging Centennial Conference schedule, the Haverford College women's tennis team competed against the very best this spring. Those early season tests seemed to pay dividends as the Fords went 8-2 in conference play to finish third in the Centennial Conference standings for the second straight season under head coach Drew Cohn. That pressure playing in the big moments certainly helped the Fords in a crucial 5-4 win against Franklin & Marshall as Natalie Williams picked up the clinching point during that match. The Fords set the tone for conference play early with a 7-2 victory over fellow CC semifinalist Gettysburg by in late March.
On an individual note, Emily Shutman provided thrilling matches in the battles with rival Swarthmore. Shutman picked up the first regionally-ranked win of her career during the regular season matchup with the nationally-ranked Garnet. Shutman again won her match at No. 1 singles against the Garnet during the Centennial Conference semifinals to put herself in the discussion for the regional singles rankings which will be announced in the coming weeks.
Season Notes: Haverford went 8-2 in Centennial Conference play and finished third in the Centennial Conference regular season standings for the second straight season … The Fords were battling nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins and Swarthmore for the top spot in the conference standings as they started 7-0 in CC matches … Those seven straight wins came as a part of a program-record 10 consecutive Centennial Conference victories overall dating back to the 2018 season … The Fords have now made the Centennial Conference Tournament in three straight years and 10 of the last 11 overall … Haverford has made it to at least the semifinals of the conference tournament during all but one of those playoff appearances, including trips to the Centennial Championship match during the 2014 and 2018 seasons … The Fords finished 8-8 overall as a team, with each of their defeats coming to nationally-ranked opponents … Haverford finished the season ranked 13th in the ITA Atlantic South Regional rankings … Emily Shutman earned first-team All-Centennial Conference recognition in singles for the first time in her career and is a now a two-time All-CC singles selection … Clara Farrehi earned All-Centennial Conference recognition for the first time ever in her career as the Farrehi/Shutman doubles pairing garnered second-team All-CC recognition … Farrehi was named the Centennial Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for having the highest cumulative GPA among juniors and seniors who were also named to the All-Centennial Conference Team … Ananya Prakash was named to the Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team … Haverford's eight student-athletes named to the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll marked the most of any school in the conference.
Awards:
- ITA Team All-Academic Award
- ITA Scholar-Athletes: Jane Bary, Renata DiDonato, Clara Farrehi, Claire Johnson, Mima Khazanov, Ananya Prakash, Emily Shutman, Anne Tobin, Natalie Williams
- Centennial Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Clara Farrehi
- All-Centennial Conference Singles: Emily Shutman (first team)
- All-Centennial Conference Doubles: Clara Farrehi/Emily Shutman (second team)
- Centennial Conference Player of the Week: Claire Johnson (9/18)
- Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll: Izzy Angstman, Jane Bary, Renata DiDonato, Clara Farrehi, Mima Khazanov, Ananya Prakash, Emily Shutman, Natalie Williams
- Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team: Ananya Prakash
- Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team: Clara Farrehi
- Ambler Scholar-Athlete: Renata DiDonato
Looking ahead: The Fords will return their top five singles players from this year's regular season lineup and each of their top three doubles pairings next year. Rising senior co-captains Emily Shutman and Clara Farrehi tied for the team lead with eight singles victories each in addition to their All-CC accolades. Claire Johnson played No. 4 singles in the lineup during her first-year as a student-athlete and also won eight matches in total. Natalie Williams (No. 2 singles) and Ananya Prakash (No. 5 singles) also posted winning records in conference play throughout the year as the Fords appear poised to climb even higher in the conference and regional ranks with a strong foundation returning for next year.