Top-seeded and 17th-ranked Mary Washington men's tennis team defeated second-seeded and No. 34 Christopher Newport, 5-1, in the 2018 Capital Athletic Conference championship on Saturday at the Battleground. The Eagles improve to 20-5 on the season, and claim their 23rd conference crown.

The victory avenges the Eagles' loss to CNU in last year's championship, which snapped UMW's 17-year streak atop the conference. The Eagles earn the CAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The tournament field will be annnounced on Monday at noon at NCAA.com.

All three doubles matches were exciting, as the Eagles prevailed at two, with Matt Miles and Moses Hutchison winning, 8-3, over Andy Mason and William Trang, as well as at three, with Patrick Hughes and Derek Hagino topping Dominic Lacombe and Nicholas Ruzicka, 8-5. The Captains picked up a point with an 8-6 win at one doubles, with Justin Cerny and David Reed topping Michael Fleming and Ryland Byrd, 8-6.

In singles, the Eagles started strong, winning the first set at all six positions, with Ryland Byrd winning at five, 6-2, 6-3, over Lacombe, and Fleming winning at four, 6-1, 6-4, over Ruzicka. Freshman Cole Tecce claimed the winning point with a 6-1, 6-2 victory at six over Dillon Sykes.