ROME, Ga. (May 9, 2025) – CHAMPIONS! The Chattanooga Mocs men's tennis team capped off its postseason run with a dramatic 4-2 victory over Saint Mary's (CA) to capture the 2025 UTR Sports NIT Championship title on Friday afternoon at the Rome Tennis Center in Rome, Ga.
Chattanooga (15-11) earns its first-ever national postseason title in program history following the win and concludes the year having won five of its final six matches. UTC and Saint Mary's (CA) (7-18) met for the first time in the all-time series' history.
Chattanooga opened the match with a 1-0 lead following doubles play after securing victories from the No. 1 and No. 3 tandems. Cortland Grove and Carson Gompert cruised to a 6-2 win at the No. 3 spot before the top pairing of Jakub Jupa and Gabriel Castillo clinched the team point with a 6-1 winner.
UTC built an early 3-0 lead in singles action following a 6-4, 6-3 win from Ryan Mudre at the No. 3 slot before Kristof Kincses provided a 7-5, 6-4 victory in the No. 5 hole. SMC pulled within one, 3-2, in the team score with wins at the No. 6 and No. 1 positions, respectively.
Needing just one point, Castillo and Grove were the final two Mocs left battling on center stage with the title-clinching moment hanging in the balance. Both matches went to the deciding third set locked at 5-5 before Grove, for the second-straight match, provided a clinching effort with a 7-5 decision, ultimately earning the Mocs its NIT title.
Following his championship-worthy efforts over the past two days, Grove was tabbed the 2025 UTR Sports NIT Championship Most Valuable Player during post-match festivities.
Complete info including the field, previous draw results and more can be found below.
Championship Match Results
Chattanooga 4, Saint Mary's (CA) 2
Singles
1. Carlos R. Membrives (SMC) def. Jakub Jupa (UTC) 6-4, 7-6
2. Gabriel Castillo (UTC) def. Thibaud Maxant (SMC) 6-4, 2-6, 6-5
3. Ryan Mudre (UTC) def. Finn Dyer (SMC) 6-4, 6-3
4. Cortland Grove (UTC) def. Pierre Lieutaud (SMC) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
5. Kristof Kincses (UTC) def. Bastien Maxant (SMC) 7-5, 6-4
6. Francisco Duran (SMC) def. Jaxon Lamb (UTC) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
Doubles
1. Jakub Jupa/Gabriel Castillo (UTC) def. Thibaud Maxant/Carlos R. Membrives (SMC) 6-1
2. Ryan Mudre/Jaxon Lamb (UTC) vs. Finn Dyer/Pierre Lieutaud (SMC) 4-4, unfinished
3. Cortland Grove/Carson Gompert (UTC) def. Aidan Watt/Francisco Duran (SMC) 6-2
Records/Notes:
Saint Mary's (CA) 7-18
*Chattanooga 15-11
*Chattanooga wins the 2025 UTR Sports NIT Championship
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (3,5,6,1,4)
T-3:13 A-81
2025 UTR NIT Championship Final Results
Dates: May 7-9, 2025 (all times listed ET)
Location: Rome Tennis Center ∙ Rome, Ga.
Field:Chattanooga, Morgan State, New Mexico State, NC Central, UNC Asheville, Rider, Saint Mary's (CA)
Quarterfinals – May 7
M1: Chattanooga (BYE)
M2: Rider 4, UNC Asheville 1
M3: NC Central 4, NM State 3
M4: Saint Mary's (CA) 4, Morgan State 0
Semifinals – May 8
M5:Chattanooga 4, NC Central 3
M6: Saint Mary's (CA) 4, Rider 1
Championship – May 9
M7: Chattanooga 4, Saint Mary's (CA) 2
About the UTR NIT Championships
Launched in 2023, the NIT Championship was created by UTR Sports to allow men's and women's teams to gain valuable postseason experience. The teams are selected by the NIT Championship tournament committee, with the teams' UTR SportsCollege Team Rankingamong the top criteria for consideration. The 2025 edition marks the third annual post-season NIT tennis tournament and will feature seven men's and eight women's teams.
Past UTR NIT champions: Chattanooga (2025); Tulsa (2024); Liberty (2023). More information can be found atUTRsports.com/NIT.
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