BABSON PARK, Mass.—Babson College senior Matia Cristiani (San Salvador, El Salvador) and first-year Sandra Sikharulidze (Kyiv, Ukraine) added to their postseason awards haul with Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-America honors in both singles and doubles late last week. 

Cristiani became the first player in program history to be recognized as an All-American in both singles in doubles in each of her four seasons, while Sikharulidze joined Cristiani and Olivia Soffer '25 as one of just three players to be honored in both disciplines in the same year. 

The most decorated player in program history, Cristiani capped her career by becoming the Beavers' first NCAA singles champion last month. The Honda Award finalist for women's tennis, ITA Division III and Northeast Region Senior Player of the Year, and New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Player of the Year, Cristiani registered 34 straight-set wins on the way to finishing the 2025-26 campaign with a perfect 37-0 record in singles. 

Additionally, Cristiani was 38-3 in all doubles matches and set new single-season records for singles, doubles and combined victories (75). She also holds the career marks in singles (117), doubles (121) and combined wins (238). 

Cristiani went 16-0 at number one singles and beat 15 opponents that finished among the top 20 in the final ITA Division III rankings. She also claimed the program's first ITA Cup singles championship with four consecutive straight-set wins and captured her second ITA New England Championships singles crown back in the fall. 

Sikharulidze put together one of the best rookie seasons in program history going 26-5 while reaching the NCAA singles semifinals. She went 17-0 in dual matches and broke Cristiani's freshman record for singles wins (24) while also going 37-4 in all doubles matches. 

Sikharulidze, who earned All-NEWMAC honors in both singles and doubles, defeated three top-16 opponents and concluded the year ranked eighth in singles by the ITA. Her 63 combined victories are the most by a rookie and second on Babson's single-season list behind only Cristiani. 

Along with their success in singles, Cristiani and Sikharulidze came together to form one of the top doubles pairings in the country going 37-3 and advancing to the NCAA doubles final. The duo went 19-0 at number one doubles, captured the Beavers' second ITA New England Championships doubles title and reached the second round of the ITA Cup. 

Cristiani and Sikharulidze, who ended the year ranked second by the ITA, won 23 straight matches from October 16 through May 24 before suffering a three-set loss in the NCAA doubles final. The championship match was the fourth in a row for Cristiani, who captured back-to-back doubles national, with Soffer in 2024 and 2025. 

The selection criteria for Division III All-Americans is the following: top 8 seed in the NCAA singles tournament, win one round at the NCAA singles tournament, finish in the Top 20 in the final ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings, win ITA Fall Regional Tournament, or win a first-round match at the ITA National Small College Championships (ITA Cup). All-American honors are awarded to doubles teams that are a top 4 seed in NCAA doubles tournament, win one round at the NCAA doubles tournament, finish in the Top 10 in the final ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings, win the ITA Fall Regional Tournament, or win a first-round match at the ITA National Small College Championships.

Babson finished a historic 2025-26 campaign at 19-5 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament semifinals for the first time in school history after capturing its first NEWMAC Tournament championship since 2014.