Trio of Spring Sports Teams Claim Conference Titles
Three Swarthmore College teams recently extended their seasons by winning Centennial Conference (CC) championships on home turf: softball, and men's and women's tennis.
The 25th-ranked Swarthmore College softball team captured its second title in program history with a 9-2 victory versus the 17th-ranked Gettysburg College Bullets on Wednesday. It is the Garnet's second title in three years after winning it all in 2023.
As the top seed and host of the tournament, Swarthmore won its first two games to advance to the championship on Sunday, which was ultimately moved to Wednesday due to rain. In the double-elimination bracket, Swarthmore needed one win over Gettysburg, but fell 5-2 to the Bullets to force a winner-take-all contest in the nightcap of the doubleheader. The Garnet jumped out to a 5-0 lead after four innings and although the Bullets would cut the deficit to three, the Swarthmore offense was too much to handle.
Emily Bertrand ’25 was named the tournament MVP for the second time in her career after going 5-for-8 on Wednesday with a double and three RBI. Over the Garnet's four playoff contests, the senior hit .533 with two doubles, six RBI, one run, and a 1.200 OPS.
The Garnet will find out their NCAA Tournament draw via a selection show on Monday, May 12.
The tennis programs also claimed titles in dominant fashion over the weekend. On the women's side, the 23rd-ranked Garnet claimed their first CC crown since 2006, while the eighth-ranked men's team won its third consecutive title.
The women's team entered the playoffs as the top overall seed with a perfect 8-0 record against conference competition and a seven-match winning streak. Swarthmore dispatched Dickinson College 4-0 in the semifinals and then defeated Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) by a 4-1 score to secure the program's first bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament since 2007. Nathalie Williams ’25 was chosen as the Centennial Tournament Most Valuable Player after earning victories against F&M in the top singles and doubles positions.
The Garnet will travel to Washington and Lee University (W&L) in Lexington, Va., for the preliminary rounds of the NCAA Tournament on May 9-11. Swarthmore will take on Penn State Harrisburg in the first round on Friday, and the winner will advance to Saturday's second round versus host W&L.
It was business as usual for the men's team as it completed the three-peat with 4-0 sweeps of both Washington College and 16th-ranked Haverford College. Swarthmore has not lost a match against CC competition in three years, compiling a 30-0 record over that span.
Max Lindstrom ’26 was named Tournament Most Valuable Player, securing a victory at second singles against Haverford and finishing the playoffs with a combined 3-0 record.
By winning the conference, Swarthmore earned a berth into the NCAA Tournament for the 27th time in program history, and will travel to Denison University in Granville, Ohio for the opening rounds on May 9-11. The Garnet received a bye to Saturday's second round and will face the winner of North Central College and Penn State Harrisburg.
In outdoor track & field action, the women's team finished third at the CC championship meet with three student-athletes claiming gold medals: Hannah Swale ’26 in the heptathlon, Trel Trelstad ’25 in the high jump, and Tate Garcia ’26 in shot put.
