CMC75 Moments: 2018 Women's Tennis Defeats Emory for National Title

As part of the buildup to the 75th Anniversary celebration for Claremont McKenna College (visit CMC's 75th Anniversary Countdown Page to learn more), we are reliving many of the great moments from CMS athletic department history over the 75-day countdown from April 17 to July 1. If you were a part of this great moment and would like to add to the memories, or if you would like to submit your memories of your own favorite CMS Athletics moments, fill out the form on our main 75th Anniversary page.

Great Moments from 75 Years of Athletics
2018 Women's Tennis: Athenas Edge Emory for First National Title

The CMS Women's Tennis team was looking to make history on its home courts in 2018 at the NCAA Championships, which were held at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center. A 5-0 win over MIT in quarterfinals put the Athenas through to the semis, matching their deepest tournament run ever, and to win a national title, all they had to do was beat Williams and Emory, the two programs which had combined to win the last 10 national championships, and 16 of the last 17.

CMS fell behind 2-1 after doubles to Williams in the semifinals, but won four singles matches to earn the 5-3 victory, with Catherine Allen (No. 2), Lindsay Brown (No. 3), Caroline Cox (No. 6) setting up the clincher from Rebecca Berger at No. 5 (6-2, 6-4). That put CMS in unchartered territory in its first-ever national championship match, facing top-seeded Emory, which knocked the Athenas out in the semis the year before.

Once again, CMS fell behind 2-1 after doubles, with Juliette Martin and Kyla Scott pulling out a key win at No. 3 to salvage a point. Scott added a three-set singles win to tie the score 2-2, Cox won a big tiebreaker 8-6 for a 6-0, 7-6 win at No. 6 to tie it 3-3, and Allen won another tiebreaker 7-2 for a 6-2, 7-6 win to knot the score at 4-4. That left it up to Berger once again, and the first-year remained steady under the pressure, grinding out long points and prevailing 6-2, 6-3 to allow the Athenas to keep the national championship trophy right there in Claremont.

Allen was named the SCIAC Athlete of the Year and earned All-America honors in singles. Brown and Nicole Tan were All-Americans in both singles and doubles, while Scott, Cox and Berger were all second-team All-SCIAC selections. 

Lindsay Brown:

My memories of the 17-18 season were that we started to feel like we could contend with Emory and Williams due to all the hard work the entire team put in throughout the on and off season. We felt like we were getting better every year, and it felt like the hard work was starting to pay off. We lost to Emory and Williams during the regular season in really tight matches, but we knew that we were constantly improving and committed to our goal. It was also crazy how both our matches were decided by our first-year Rebecca, but we knew what a hard competitor she was and still is, and she came through to get us to victory in the semifinals and championship match. 

That moment when we won was so special because we all knew that we had put everything we had into that season and match. So many players contributed to the match on and off the court and the atmosphere was amazing since we were playing at our home courts and so many CMS alumni, parents, students, and faculty came to support us. We truly had one of the most passionate and hard working teams that year, and I can't imagine achieving this goal with anyone else. 

One of my own personal memories of that season was running to CMC graduation in my tennis clothes after winning my NCAA Round of 16 match against Pomona-Pitzer. I made it just in time to throw on my robes while the match was still going! 

Kyla Scott:

I honestly could not have hoped for a more satisfying conclusion to a tennis career. My timing really was perfect; I started my freshman year just as Dave became head coach, watched our team improve and grow, and ended with a national championship. What could be better than that?

I definitely think that being able to compete on our home courts with friends and family cheering us on gave us the momentum over the course of that week to get us the win. As far as our experience with Emory, they were consistently a great team but that last season, we could have beaten each other on any given day. We were just fortunate the national finals happened to be our day. I am so proud to have been a part of that day and everything that led up to it, it will always be one of my fondest memories.

Honestly the whole day is just kind of a blur of strong emotions. Even now, thinking back in too much detail makes me a little emotional. I think if I had to pick a favorite memory, it would be playing my last doubles match with my partner, Juliette Martin. I was just so fired up and had so much fun during that match, despite being incredibly nervous leading up to it. When Juliette and I won our match, I could finally dare to hope that we could actually take home the title.

Rebecca Berger:

Coming into the tournament, we were the underdogs. Up until 2018, Williams and Emory had dominated the national title. Going into the match, it was the underdog factor fueling our extra motivation. We knew we could beat them and so all we had to do was believe in ourselves and fight for every point. 

I think my teammates being there, watching me and hearing them pumping me up only fueled my focus more. I did not want to win just for myself but for the team that I have come to consider my family. I knew what I had to do to win and I wanted to do that for my team, so it felt pretty natural to stay focused on the match and not pay attention to what was going on in the stands or anywhere else.

When we won, I was in disbelief. It felt surreal to know that the goal we were all working towards had become reality. In the moment, I felt nothing but pride in my teammates' dedication and hard work. Growing up, I never enjoyed junior tennis. When I got to college and developed such a strong bond with my teammates, I no longer felt that I was winning or losing for myself. Winning the national championship with my teammates on our home courts, is to this day, the best day of my life. Knowing that the victory was accomplished by the entire team's hard work and efforts is what made the victory so much better. We pushed each other, each and everyday and for that I will be forever grateful to them. 

My favorite moment would have to be playing alongside my teammates (Kyla Scott and Caroline Cox). I was playing in between them and we were constantly firing each other up and cheering. That feeling of energy that I felt coming from both of them was indescribable and is my favorite memory of that day. Accomplishing the national championship title was a great moment, but it was the moments leading up to the title that I will always look back to.

Caroline Cox:

I have to admit that by the time I finished watching Cat's match and ran over to watch the end of Rebecca's, knowing her determination and seeing her score … I already knew we had won. But even though I had already started to process that, Rebecca closing out the match and all of us running out to dog pile her together was still so exhilarating. We were jumping, crying and laughing all together and it truly is the best I have ever felt in my life.

Being able to celebrate with a group of teammates was so much more exciting. Junior tennis is so individual and so after spending nearly a decade driving to tournaments with just my mom and playing mainly for myself made this even more special. We trained all year together and so it was amazing to be able to play next to each other one last time for the season and have our hard work really pay off. 

I will never forget the feeling of running onto the court when Rebecca won her last point and the joy we collectively felt afterward. But apart from that, I loved the nights we spent together before our matches watching Mulan and eating Thai food because in those moments we weren't hyper focused on tennis and could just be friends. Friends who loved hanging out together and who wanted to win for each other, which I think made all the difference.

One other thing is that we were all kinda disappointed the school year ended before NCAAs so most of our non-tennis friends had left campus but we had so many faculty members, Claremont residents, and other people connected to CMS that most of us had never met who came out to cheer us on. That support we received from people who had no obligation to come watch was incredible and I still really appreciate it. 

2018 Women's Tennis Roster
Head Coach: David Schwarz
Assistant Coaches: Nyssa Peele, Kathy Settles
Catherine Allen (So., Scripps)
Rebecca Berger (Fr., CMC)
Lindsay Brown (Sr., CMC)
Caroline Cox (Fr., CMC)
Jessie Cruz (Jr., CMC)
Anastasia Bryan-Ajania (So., Scripps)
Juliette Martin (So., HMC)
Kyla Scott (Sr., HMC)
Madison Shea (So., CMC)
Nicole Tan (So., CMC)
Lauren Yamagami (So., CMC)