NEWPORT, R.I. — The Roger Williams University Men's and Women's Tennis teams combined to capture the 2026 Clash on the Grass championship Friday, Oct. 9, winning two of three flight titles at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in an event hosted by Salve Regina.
The Hawks finished with 17 points, edging Colby-Sawyer's 15 for the team championship. Salve Regina placed third with nine points, while Bridgewater State finished fourth with four.
Ella Mancini and Will Hurlbut led Roger Williams with an undefeated performance and the Flight B championship, while Claire Dwyer and Sohaan Jagasia secured the Flight C title. The Hawks collected seven points in Flight B, six in Flight C and four in Flight A.
The mixed doubles tournament featured round-robin competition within six groups, with group winners advancing to their respective flight championship matches. Each round-robin victory earned one team point, while flight champions received two additional points and runners-up earned one.
Mancini and Hurlbut opened Flight B2 with a 6-1 victory over Salve Regina's Jesper Jensen and Emma Robert before blanking Bridgewater State's Ana Eccles and Anthony Lucas, 6-0. The Hawks then edged Colby-Sawyer's Avery Nielsen and Oliver Van Hattum, 6-5 (7), to complete a 3-0 run through their group.
In the Flight B championship, Mancini and Hurlbut defeated Colby-Sawyer's Maria Espinosa Lopez and Leonardo Brezzi, 6-2, finishing the tournament with four victories.
Valentina Abarca and Om Seth added two wins in Flight B1. After falling to Salve Regina's Madigan Murphy and Luca Testa, 6-2, the pair rebounded with a 6-5 (5) victory over Espinosa Lopez and Brezzi. Abarca and Seth closed round-robin play with a 6-4 win over Bridgewater State's Ava Alves and Tom Ayson.
Roger Williams also went unbeaten in Flight C1, using three combinations to earn a spot in the championship match. Megan Bache and Jagasia opened with a 6-2 victory over Colby-Sawyer's Max Biedermann and Callie Valeri. Dwyer and Jeremy Linker followed with a 6-3 win over Salve Regina's Stef Davis and Colin Fleet, before Dwyer and Jagasia defeated Bridgewater State's Sam Bettencourt and Tyler Rocchio, 6-4.
Dwyer and Jagasia carried that success into the Flight C championship, topping Salve Regina's Max Varian and Sophia Padro, 6-4, to give the Hawks their second flight title.
In Flight C2, Scarlett Bernard and Josh Mizrahi contributed a 6-1 victory over Salve Regina's Ryan Gordon and Amanda Quinn. The duo finished 1-2 in round-robin play after falling to Colby-Sawyer, 6-3, and Bridgewater State, 6-4.
Both Roger Williams pairings in Flight A finished 2-1. Adriana Palmieri and Bronson DeSisto defeated Bridgewater State's Morgan Smith and Kheim Nguyen, 6-2, and Salve Regina's Tiffany Gomez and Jude Neven, 6-2. Their lone setback came against Colby-Sawyer's Alessio Dambrosi and Justine Porowski, 6-3.
Iris Gkrekou and Tucker Taylor also earned two victories, defeating Salve Regina's Kaydin Pinto and Kole Pinto, 6-2, and Bridgewater State's Ailsyn Kelliher and Will Horton by the same score. Gkrekou and Taylor fell to Colby-Sawyer's Oliver Gore and Skylar Jara, 6-3.
The Hawks added five victories in the non-scoring bonus round. Meghan Hughes and James Birbara earned a 6-5 (3) win over Colby-Sawyer, while Ashlyn Keating and Cooper Brown defeated Salve Regina, 6-2. Addie Lewis and Jeremy Linker posted a 6-0 victory against Salve Regina, Emma Blanchard and Chris Gagliardi defeated Bridgewater State, 6-2, and Rose Hinsdale and Edward White added a 6-0 win over Bridgewater State.
