Making a Racket

he banners hanging in the Mullan Tennis Center tell the story of one of the most successful men’s programs in Division III history: four team national championships, two NCAA doubles championships, 53 All-Americans, and more.

Despite this long list of individual and team accolades, the Garnet were in a difficult position in the 2010s; Centennial Conference (CC) competitor Johns Hopkins had won 15 consecutive conference titles, topping Swarthmore in 10 of those and taking the CC’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. With at-large selections difficult to come by, the Garnet did not qualify for the postseason as a team between 2008 and 2022.

After the pandemic wiped out two seasons, the program faced the challenge of rebuilding team culture and finding a way to reach the pinnacle once again. Rising to the occasion were the six members of the Class of 2026: Michael Melnikov, Utham Koduri, Max Lindstrom, Andrés Fente, Lalith Suresh, and Aamish Pal.

By the spring portion of the 2022-23 season, all six first-years were in the starting lineup: Melnikov at first singles and first doubles with Koduri, who played at various singles spots; Lindstrom at second singles and second doubles; Fente at third doubles; Suresh at third singles; and Pal at sixth singles.

A pivotal moment for the group came on April 1 when the Garnet hosted the eighth-ranked Hopkins Blue Jays at the Mullan Tennis Center. Melnikov and Koduri won a tight contest at first doubles, while Lindstrom and Rushil Patel ’24 cruised to a victory at second to give Swarthmore a 2-1 lead. Melnikov and Suresh both won their singles matches, and then Pal came through at the sixth spot to complete the upset.

In terms of collegiate experience, the two teams were complete opposites: six first-year players for Swarthmore against four graduate students and a senior for Hopkins.

“I think it helped that our lineup had these six guys that had never played Hopkins, because they hadn’t developed that scar tissue,” says Head Men’s Tennis Coach Jason Box, who has led the program since 2018.

At the end of April, the teams faced off once again in the conference finals. The Blue Jays flipped the script with a 2-1 advantage after doubles, but they were shut out in singles as Melnikov, Charley Force ’24, Lindstrom, and Suresh won their matches, with the latter coming as the championship clincher.

“Winning our first conference championship is one of the most exciting moments of our time here so far,” says Suresh. “We were surrounded by people who poured their energy into creating a vibrant atmosphere, and as soon as we clinched, I remember everyone on the team storming the court as the crowd cheered.”

At the NCAA tournament, Melnikov and Koduri qualified for the doubles draw, with Melnikov also making it for singles. Melnikov won his first singles match to earn All-American status, and then the duo went all the way to the doubles finals, becoming the first freshman team in program history to receive All-American doubles honors.

The next two seasons followed a similar pattern as Swarthmore won the conference championship while Melnikov and Koduri received All-American distinction. Looking ahead to their senior spring, members of the class are excited about achieving a conference four-peat and going further in the NCAA tournament while continuing to uphold the winning tradition of Swarthmore men’s tennis.

“Tennis alumni have told us how proud they are of the recent success and how excited they are to see what we can achieve this season,” says Fente. “Hearing that and seeing the banners of their past accomplishments remind us that we are playing for something bigger than ourselves.”