Matia Cristiani Named NEWMAC Athlete of the Year as Four from No. 8 Women's Tennis Earn All-Conference Recognition in Both Singles & Doubles

BABSON PARK, Mass.— Senior

Matia Cristiani (San Salvador, El Salvador) was named Athlete of the Year and No. 8 Babson College had four players earn All-Conference recognition when the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) announced its women's tennis postseason awards on Tuesday afternoon.

Cristiani was joined on the All-Conference Singles First Team by first-years

Sandra Sikharulidze (Kyiv, Ukraine) and

Elizabeth Shu (Sugar Land, Texas), and

Matia Cristiani and Sikharulidze were honored with All-Conference Doubles First Team accolades. Sophomore

Alessandra Cristiani (San Salvador, El Salvador) garnered a spot on the All-Conference Singles Second Team and was joined by Shu on the All-Conference Doubles Second Team.

Matia Cristiani becomes a four-time honoree of All-Conference First Team in both singles and doubles as well as the 2023 NEWMAC Rookie of the Year. She added the NEWMAC Athlete of the Year to her lengthy list of career honors, which includes three-time All-America in both singles and doubles and two-time national doubles champion.

Ranked No. 1 in Division III by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), Cristiani has recorded perhaps her best season yet this year. She has registered a remarkable singles record of 30-0, including 14-0 in dual matches at number one, and has posted 27 of her 30 victories in straight sets, including the last 18 in a row. She has registered six victories over ranked opponents, and 12 of her last 13 wins were against the number one player on a ranked team.

Matia has rewritten the Babson record book. With career records of 110-4 in singles and 114-10 in doubles, she owns program career records in singles, doubles and overall (224) victories as well as the single-season mark of 61 combined wins, which she accomplished twice (2024, 2026).

Sikharulidze has enjoyed an outstanding rookie season for the Beavers. Ranked 11th in Division III, she has produced a 20-4 record at singles, including a 14-0 mark in dual matches and 4-0 against conference opponents. She has won her last 14 matches in a row, including two against ranked opponents and 11 versus nationally-ranked teams.

Cristiani and Sikharulidze have been as dominant in doubles as they have been in singles. Ranked third in Division III, the Babson duo has posted a 30-2 record together, including 15-0 in dual matches in the top flight. They have won their last 16 outings, helping the Beavers capture the doubles point in the last 12 matches and 15 outings this season.

Shu earned All-Conference recognition in singles by winning six of her seven matches against NEWMAC foes, including twice at number two and once at number one. She is 8-2 overall in singles with seven victories in straight sets, and she has five singles wins against teams with a national ranking.

Alessandra Cristiani, who is All-Conference second team in singles for the second year in a row, went 4-1 against NEWMAC opponents and 11-7 overall. She went 4-2 at number five singles, 2-2 at number four and also won singles matches once at numbers one and three. She has posted a career singles mark of 31-15.

Shu and A.Cristiani registered a 7-3 mark in doubles this spring, including 2-0 at number one and 5-3 at number two. They have won their last five doubles matches, including four against conference foes. Cristiani has gone 18-11 in all of her doubles matches this season and Shu is 7-3.

The eighth-ranked Beavers, 16-4, captured their first NEWMAC Championship since 2014 with a victory over No. 7 MIT in the title match, and earned their fifth NCAA Tournament berth and fourth since 2021. After receiving a first-round bye, Babson will face either No. 37 Stevens or Rhode Island College in a second-round match this Saturday in Middlebury, Vt.