ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Hartwick Hawks Women's Tennis Team made history in October, winning the program's first Empire 8 Championship.  The victory gave them an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.  On Monday, the record-breaking squad found out their tournament destination and opponent.  Hartwick will travel to host site and top seed in the region, Middlebury College.
 
The Hawks will take on the Dutchmen from Lebanon Valley College (LVC) on Friday, May 5 at 10 AM in the opening round.  LVC ran through the MAC Commonwealth conference with an undefeated mark and defeated Stevenson 9-0 in the championship match to earn their automatic bid.  Overall, the Dutchmen are 16-3.
 
The winner will advance to the second round where they will go against Middlebury College at 10 AM on Saturday, May 6, and the regional championship game will take place on Sunday, May 7 at noon.
 
Hartwick enters the contest with a 16-2 record and a 7-0 record in conference play.  The 16-win mark is a new program-high after the 2021-22 squad broke the record last year with 12 overall wins.
 
Leading the way for the Hawks are Jade Killikelly (Jamaica, N.Y.) and Lily Vanuga (Springville, N.Y.) who have both posted a 15-2 overall record and an undefeated record in conference play.  Killikelly has been a mainstay this season at either 2^nd or 3^rd singles, while Vanuga played the bulk of her matches at 5^th and 6^th singles.
 
In doubles play, Damita Bollers (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Killikelly have been the most consistent tandem, playing 16 matches together, going 11-5 overall and 5-1 in Empire 8 matches; all at the 1^st doubles spot.
 
Other players to watch in the opening round match are Ryann Ashby (Malta, N.Y.) who went 6-1 in Empire 8 play, mainly at the 4^th singles spot.  Colleen Marsh (Marcellus, N.Y.) was also a consistent performer for the Hawks, posting a 12-3 overall record between the 4^th and 5^th singles spots.
 
"While we have been humbled by the fact that we have received several All-Conference honors," praised Head Coach, Samantha Butcher, "it has taken the entire team to get us where we are.  It's a tremendous honor to represent the Empire 8 in the NCAA Tournament and we have enjoyed the entire journey of getting to this point in our season."
 
Killikelly, Vanuga, Bollers, Ashby, and Marsh all received recognition on one of the All-Empire 8 teams.
 
"We're excited to have the opportunity to compete with some of the top teams in the region and nation for the first time in program history," commented Butcher.  "All year our focus has been on preparation and consistency.  We're looking forward to seeing how far our hard work can carry us."
 
The Hawks and the Dutchmen have one common opponent this season in Wilkes University.  Hartwick and LVC both defeated the Colonels 7-2 in non-conference play.
 
 
HARTWICK COLLEGE
 
One of the oldest colleges in the country, Hartwick has continually evolved for 225 years. The College's exciting new chapter is called FlightPath, a future-focused approach to education. Offering a distinctive blend of curricular, co-curricular and real-world work experiences, FlightPath builds on Hartwick's long history of integrating broad-based studies with experiential learning.
 
Hartwick College is a nationally ranked independent college of the arts and sciences located in picturesque Oneonta, NY, in the northern foothills of the Catskill Mountains. The College offers 35 courses of study leading to a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree, two master's degrees in the sciences, and a graduate certificate in nursing education. For more information, visit www.Hartwick.edu.