BABSON PARK, Mass.—Babson College junior
Olivia Soffer (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and sophomore
Matia Cristiani (San Salvador, El Salvador) added to their postseason laurels on Friday as both were named to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division III All-America team in both singles and doubles.
Soffer garnered her third consecutive All-America honor in singles, while Cristiani was recognized for the second year in a row. The duo also earned ITA All-America accolades in doubles for the second time in as many seasons.
Cristiani collected her second consecutive All-America honor in singles after going 29-2 during the 2023-24 campaign. She was a perfect 15-0 in dual matches and advanced to the semifinals of both the ITA Cup in October and the NCAA Division III Singles Championship in May after claiming the first ITA New England Singles title to begin the year.
Cristiani, who recorded the second most singles wins in program history, finished the year at number two in the ITA computer rankings. A two-time All-New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) first-team selection, she also was chosen as the Division III and Northeast Region Player to Watch back in May.
Additionally, Cristiani set a single-season school record with 61 combined singles and doubles wins in 2023-24 and ranks second in combined wins (109), is tied for third in career singles wins (53) and is tied for sixth in career doubles victories (56) after just two seasons.
Already the most decorated player in Babson history, Soffer added to her resume with another outstanding individual season. She went 20-3 overall while posting a 14-1 record at number one singles during the spring. The 2023 NCAA Division III runner-up in singles, Soffer advanced to the ITA New England semifinals, made her third straight appearance at nationals and concluded the season ranked seventh by the ITA.
The three-time NEWMAC Player of the Year and the only individual in program history to win at least 20 singles matches in three consecutive seasons, Soffer became the Beavers' career leader in singles (72), doubles (68) and combined victories (140) this past season.
In addition to their individual success, Soffer and Cristiani made history two weeks ago becoming the first females in school history to capture a national championship with their three-set victory in the NCAA Doubles final. The duo, which was the NCAA runner-up in 2023, set a new school record for wins and finished the year with an overall record of 32-2 after defeating Kikolina Batoshvili and Alisha Chulani of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the championship match, 6-1, 6-7 (1-7), 6-4.
Soffer and Cristiani, which also captured their first ITA New England Championships doubles crown before advancing to the final of the ITA Cup back in the fall, has put together a 55-6 record over the last two seasons.
