Queens, N.Y. – The USTA National Tennis Center is known as the site where the US Open crowns its champions in September. Today it was the site where a different champion was crowned as the Fordham women's tennis squad was recognized for its 2023 Atlantic 10 title with the Rams receiving their championship rings prior to the annual Crosscourt Club Spring Classic.
 
Head coach Michael Sowter addressed the crowd before the rings were presented, stressing on how the accomplishments of the 2023 team, the first to win an Atlantic 10 title, were a testament to the hard work and dedication of the group.
 
He also drew on his own experience of winning a championship. "These rings will bond everyone on this team forever," Sowter said to the group.
 
For a recap of the special 2023 season, below is a story written by sports information summer intern Colin Healy.
 
Coach Sowter Reflects on Championship Season, Examines Future for Women's Tennis
 
At the halfway point of Fordham women's tennis' 2022-2023 season, Head Coach Michael Sowter wondered if the Rams were capable of a run for the Atlantic 10 title. Picked as the #5 team in the Atlantic 10 in preseason polling, not many saw the Rams as a threat come the postseason. Despite a phenomenal individual performance by graduate student Valeria Deminova in the fall, who reached the ITF Super Regionals, overall inconsistencies left some question marks heading into the spring portion of the season. With a tough second half schedule ahead, the Rams needed to flip the script in order to contend for a title.
 
In the end, that script was flipped. And then some. The Rams captured the program's first ever Atlantic 10 Championship, avenging a loss in the title match the season prior, and vaulting Fordham into the NCAA tournament. 
 
Coach Sowter goes back to early March in pinpointing the moment where Fordham started to play to their potential. Close losses to nationally ranked Yale and Brown showed Sowter just how good the squad could be.
 
"Every time we stepped on court we looked better and better," said Sowter. "The match against Brown, in my opinion, was a turning point for us because we had match point to beat them and I feel that was the moment where everyone realized we were capable of competing with anyone."
 
The burst of momentum carried the Rams for the rest of the regular season, arriving at the Atlantic 10 tournament on a three-match win streak. After advancing to the Championship match, Fordham faced off with VCU for the title, a team that had defeated them earlier in the regular season. Buoyed by the morale boost picked up in the last couple months, Fordham emerged victorious over the Rams from Virginia, winning 4-1 and capturing the conference trophy.
 
"Thankfully, I had a very senior-heavy squad with a lot of experience and confidence in themselves and I was pleased with the mindset that we brought to the A10 Championships," Sowter said of the fearless attitude his team possessed. "The whole experience was very surreal."
 
Unfortunately, the team's season would conclude the following week in May, bowing to nationally-ranked Princeton 4-0 in the first round of the NCAA Championships. Though the loss did not sit well, Sowter realized the magnitude of the Rams' accomplishments, taking pride in their historic season. He credits assistant coach Katia Bogomolova and other staff, trainers, and advisors as the forces that made such success possible. It's a season he won't soon forget.
 
"Coming to Fordham was the best professional decision I've ever made so I'm happy that we were able to win an A-10 title for the school, attend the NCAA Championships, and get the women's team the exposure they deserve."
 
This upcoming season will feature a very different roster as eight new players will join the Rams for the 2023-2024 campaign. Coach Sowter believes that these newcomers will pair well with veteran graduate students from the championship season, and that the Rams will be more than ready to defend their title. He's looking forward to forming a cohesive unit that will excel both on and off the courts.
 
"This is uncharted territory for us so Katia and I will take it one day at a time and with a lot of hard work, grit, and determination, we will be hopefully competing for another A-10 title."