On Nov. 10, senior Anand Sahasrabudhe announced that he will be continuing his tennis career at Middlebury College. Sahasrabudhe, who has competed as the first singles player in both his freshman and junior years, was drawn to Middlebury through their program and academics.
“I committed to Middlebury because out of all of the schools I visited, I felt that along with having a great tennis team, Middlebury gave me exactly what I wanted out of a school,” Sahasrabudhe told The Fanscotian.
Located in Middlebury, Vermont, the private liberal arts college is considered one of the “little Ivies” and houses around 2,800 undergraduate students. With popular majors such as economics, environmental studies and computer science, Middlebury provides Sahasrabudhe academic and athletic opportunities.
“I was really looking for a school that had great academics, a great campus, as well as a team and coaches that I felt would help my game. Middlebury checked all of those boxes for me,” Sahasrabudhe said.
A four-star recruit according to Tennis Recruiting Network, Sahasrabudhe built quite the resume for himself during his two high school seasons. Although not competing for the Raiders during his sophomore year, Sahasrabudhe has gone 21-2 in competition, including a perfect 13-0 campaign in 2024. To add on to his stellar 2024, the 6’1” righty was also crowned the Union County Singles Champion.
Sahasrabudhe will fit right in with the Middlebury Panthers winning culture. Being one of the top Division III programs in the nation, the Panthers have won three National Championships, most recently in 2018, and are a constant competitor in the New England Small College Athletic Conference. Sahasrabudhe is looking forward to stepping onto the tennis courts in Middlebury, and adding to the school’s historic legacy.
“A huge goal for me in college tennis would be to try to qualify for and even win the singles national championship as well as a team national championship with Middlebury,” Sahasrabudhe said. “Their team has had a long history of success so I hope to be able to help them continue that.”
Although it is a dream of many young athletes, continuing to play a sport at the collegiate level is rare. Around 2% of student-athletes continue to play in college, making this moment even more spectacular. For Sahasrabudhe, college tennis has always been in the back of his mind, and this moment of celebration is a testament to all of his hard work and dedication.
“As a kid, I always saw my older counterparts graduate and play at great schools with great tennis teams and find success, so it always made college tennis a huge goal in my life as well as a big motivational factor to try to play at the best school I can,” Sahasrabudhe said.
Even with one more high school season to play in the spring, Sahasrabudhe can already fathom what he will miss most about playing tennis at SPFHS.
“I am going to miss the camaraderie that comes with being on a team,” Sahasrabudhe said. “Playing an individual sport, there is little opportunity to have a team atmosphere so it was really enjoyable in the season to have that kind of support around you during your matches from your friends and teammates.”
