TEMPE, Ariz.—Two days after capturing the first NCAA singles title in program history, Babson College standout Matia Cristiani (San Salvador, El Salvador) weas chosen as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Women's Tennis Senior Player of the Year on Wednesday afternoon. 

Cristiani is the second Babson player in as many years to be selected as the ITA Senior Player of the Year after Olivia Soffer '25 was chosen last season. 

The most decorated player in program history earning four ITA All-America honors in both singles and doubles, Cristiani capped an undefeated season with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Lia Melvin of Johns Hopkins in Monday's NCAA singles final. She recorded 33 of her 37 singles matches in straight sets and dropped just four sets across 41 matches in a season that included winning singles crowns at the ITA Cup and ITA New England Championships, and finishing as the runner-up in the NCAA Doubles Championship alongside first-year Sandra Sikharulidze (Kyiv, Ukraine). 

Cristiani set new program records with 37 singles, 38 doubles and 75 combined victories while also helping the Beavers claim their first NEWMAC championship since 2014 before advancing to the NCAA Tournament semifinals for the first time in program history. In dual match competition, she went 16-0 at number one singles and was 20-0 at number one doubles with 19 of the wins coming alongside Sikharulidze. 

"Matia could not be more deserving of the senior player of the year award, said Babson head women's tennis coach Emma Hall. "She absolutely dominated this season in both singles and doubles, consistently competing at the highest level and leading our team through her performances. Matia is an incredible leader and teammate. She carries herself with humility, treats every opponent with kindness and respect, and sets the standard for what it means to compete with class. We are so proud of everything she has accomplished and grateful for the impact she has had on our program."

Cristiani has rewritten the record books during her Babson career and passed former teammate Soffer as the program's all-time wins leader and concluded her remarkable career with a 117-4 record in singles, a 121-11 mark in doubles and a combined record of 138-15 over four seasons. She was a perfect 63-0 in dual-match singles competition with every victory coming at either number one or number two, and concluded her career with 33 straight wins at number one doubles dating back to March 2025. 

The 2023 ITA Northeast Region Rookie of the Year and 2024 ITA Division III and Northeast Region Player to Watch, Cristiani qualified for the NCAA singles and doubles championships in each of her four seasons at Babson. She won two doubles national titles with Soffer in 2024 and 2025 after finishing as the runner-up in 2023, and  advanced to the singles semifinals in 2024 and the second round in both 2023 and 2025. 

In addition to this year's run to the NCAA semifinals, Cristiani also helped the Beavers make their first regional final appearance in 2023 as well as last year's trip to the second round.