ORLANDO, Fla. — Middlebury college senior men’s tennis player Stan Morris on Sunday defeated Johns Hopkins’ Vishnu Joshi 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 for the NCAA Division III singles title at the United States Tennis Association National Campus in Orlando, Fla.

Morris lost a close first set, prevailed in a tight second set, and cruised to the win in a decisive third set.

Stan Morris of Middlebury College poses with the National Championship trophy after winning the 2022 NCAA Division III National Championships at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday, May 29. Photo by Manuela Davies/USTA

Morris caps his career with a 55-23 record in singles play and became just the second men’s tennis player to win the national crown, and third Panther overall.

The fourth-ranked Panther men’s team lost on May 24 in an NCAA semifinal, 5-1, in Orlando to second-ranked Case Western Reserve University. The Panthers finished the season with a 21-3 record, including a 17-match winning-streak heading into the semifinal.

The Panther men made their 17th appearance in the quarterfinal round and advanced to the semifinals for the 12th time in program history. Middlebury reached the 20-win plateau for the seventh time in eight seasons and 11th time overall.

Also in Orlando, the fifth-ranked Middlebury women’s tennis team reached the NCAA semifinal round before falling to top-ranked University of Chicago, 5-1. The women’s program had reached an NCAA semifinal for the fourth time after reaching the Panthers’ eighth quarterfinal. The Panther women finished at 18-6.

Stan Morris of Middlebury College prepares a volley during the 2022 NCAA Division III National Championships in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday.
Photo by Manuela Davies/USTA