BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Top-seeded Bridgewater State University captured the 2024 Little East Conference (LEC) Men's Tennis Tournament title with a 5-1 victory over #2 Rhode Island College in the tournament championship match on Saturday afternoon at the Rosen Memorial Tennis Courts.

The Bears (9-4) earned their first Little East Tournament title in the current format and first LEC crown since 2006 when they shared the championship with the University of Southern Maine.

Bridgewater will now advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in program history. The 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Tournament Selection Show will air Monday, May 6th at 12:30 PM ET on NCAA.com.

RIC ends the season with an overall record of 9-3.

Bridgewater State's Adam Beatrice (Rockland, Mass.) garnered Tournament MVP honors. Beatrice went 2-0 in first-flight doubles play for the tournament and earned a straight set victory at second flight singles in Saturday's championship match.

The Bears captured two of the three doubles matches this afternoon with all three flights going to a tiebreaker.

Robby Cooney (Plymouth, Mass.) and Matthew Krampf (Littleton, Mass.) battled back from a 7-4 deficit to post an 8-7 (7-2) victory at the second doubles flight to get the Bears on the board.

Elijah Gouin (Gloucester, Mass.) and Peter Pond (Providence, R.I.) evened the score for the Anchormen at 1-1 with an 8-7 (7-5) triumph at third doubles.

Beatrice and Tom Ayson (Plymouth, Mass.) held off the RIC's top-flight tandem of Josh Brien (Johnston, R.I.) and Andrew Fanning (Smithfield, R.I.), 8-7 (11-9) to give the hosts a 2-1 lead heading into singles competition.

Krampf recorded a 6-4, 6-1 straight set win at number four singles and Beatrice followed with a 6-2, 6-1 straight set victory at the second flight to extend the BSU advantage to 4-1.

Filippo Mucci (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) then secured the decisive fifth point for the second straight match with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph at number five to send the Bears to the NCAA Tournament.

The other three singles matches were left unfinished. Bridgewater's Ryan Hebert (Taunton, Mass.) won the first set at six singles, 6-1, and was leading 6-5 in the second set. Ayson split the first two sets against Gouin at number three, 0-6, 7-5, while Cooney split the first two sets at the top flight against Noah Morin (Smithfield, R.I.), 3-6, 6-0, and trailed 2-3 in the third set.