Full Centennial Conference Release

HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's tennis team took home six spots on the All-Centennial Conference teams, the conference office announced Friday morning.

Sophomore Marko Arboleda was named to the All-Centennial Conference first team for singles, while James McKenzie and Justin Minerva earned spots on the All-Centennial Conference first team doubles list. McKenzie, Owen Kilmer, and Niki Lavu, received All-Centennial Conference second team plaudits, while Arboleda and Kilmer grabbed All-Centennial Conference honorable mention in doubles. 

Arboleda, who ranked as high as 14th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Association (ITA) Atlantic South region this season, finished his sophomore season with a dual-match record of 9-7, going 2-3 in conference play in the number one singles spot. The 2024 Rookie of the Year strung together a four-match win streak from March 10-March 28, that saw the Chappaqua, N.Y. native claim victories over Hope International, UC Santa Cruz, 20th-ranked Redlands, and No. 39 Stevens. The victory in Haverford's upset win over No. 20 Redlands on March 12, saw Arboleda defeat Dominic Anderson in the top flight, a player who was ranked 49th nationally at the time. On April 12, the sophomore picked up his second ranked-win of the season, defeating Vincent Troung of No. 21 Christopher Newport, who was ranked 14th regionally at the time.

Playing mostly in the number two singles spot in 2025, McKenzie went 9-8 in dual-match play and 3-2 in conference play. The senior also earned a win occupying the number one spot against Muhlenberg on April 19. The Melbourne, Australia local played a part in the Fords' ranked win against No. 39 Stevens, dispatching Vivek Harinarayan, before prevailing over Ryan Monroe of 21st-ranked Christopher Newport on April 12. In the semifinals of the Centennial Conference Tournament, McKenzie earned a victory over No. 36 Franklin & Marshall's Zac Ashtiani, helping the Scarlet and Black advance to the Centennial Conference Final for the first time since 2013.

Kilmer, hailing from Mendham, N.J., experienced a breakout rookie campaign for the Fords, going 11-7 in dual-match play and 4-1 in conference play. Playing mostly third singles, Kilmer earned two victories in the number two slot, earning wins against Wabash (March 12) and Ursinus (April 22). The rookie put together a five-match win streak from March 29-April 16, that included a key victory against Ashton Legum of No. 21 Christopher Newport on April 12. Making his Centennial Conference postseason debut in 2025, KIilmer earned a win against Samuel Donnelly of 36th-ranked F&M, helping the Scarlet and Black advance to the Centennial Conference Final.

Going an impressive 10-6 in dual-match play and 5-1 in conference play, Lavu consistently gave the Scarlet and Black success up and down the lineup. Going 8-6 in the four-spot, the Bryn Mawr, Pa. product earned a vital victory over Jack Hinkle of No. 20 Redlands in the upset-victory for Haverford on March 12. He also took home the win against Eddy Porsmyr Hansen of 21st-ranked Christopher Newport on April 12. Before locking horns with the Captains, Lavu moved up to the number two spot against Dickinson, earning a singles win. The versatile junior also secured a win in the three spot, defeating Deniz Finkel of Ursinus on April 22. 

Ranking ninth in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Association (ITA) Atlantic South region on April 24, the dynamic duo of McKenzie and Justin Minevra went 10-7 in dual-match play and 5-1 in conference play, competing in the top flight for doubles. After kicking off the season with a win over Evan Fisher and Brock Ladehoff of No 26 Mary Washington, the number one pairing navigated through a tough schedule that saw the team earn a key ranked victory over the top flight pairing in the Atlantic South, Michael Melkinov and Utham Koduri of No. 12 Swarthmore. Swarthmore's top doubles team was ranked first in the region and 19th nationally at the time. The duo also earned a postseason victory against Zac Ashtiani and Gonzalo Gentou of No. 36 Franklin & Marshall, helping the Fords advance to the Centennial Conference Final for the first time since 2013.

Holding down the number two doubles spot for the Scarlet and Black, Arboleda and Kilmer went 9-10 in dual match play and 4-2 in conference play. The team earned three-straight wins during the Spring Break trip with victories over Hope International, UC Santa Cruz, and Wabash. They triumphed over Matt Luzzi and Harinarayan of No. 39 Stevens on March 28, before picking up the win in the Centennial Conference semifinals over Luke Brodsky and Soren Rudin-Aulenbach of No. 36 Franklin & Marshall. Playing a majority of the season at number two, the pair moved up to number one to defeat Lucas Bogle and Eddy Chow of Dickinson on April 12. 

In addition to the selections, senior Danny Loder earned a spot on the Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship team. 

Swarthmore's Michael Melkinov was named Centennial Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Year, while Washington College's Sihoo Kim earned Rookie of the Year. The Swarthmore coaching staff took home Coaching Staff of the Year honors.

After a historic season that saw Haverford achieve their highest ranking in school history, the No. 16 Fords will travel to Cleveland, Ohio, for the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament, with matches held on the campus of Case Western Reserve University beginning Friday, May 9. Haverford is set to face Illinois Tech (12-9) in the NCAA First Round at 2 p.m. Friday.