Naperville, Ill. -- The 2022-23 season came to an end for the Wheaton women's tennis team on Saturday afternoon, as the Thunder were defeated by the #1 seed in this year's conference tournament, the North Central College Cardinals, in the CCIW Championship match. The Cardinals, hosts of this weekend's competition, won today's showpiece match by a score of 6-0 to claim another conference crown and book their ticket to the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Tournament. Wheaton's campaign concludes with an overall record of 17-5, the best full-season mark for the Thunder program since 2017-18.

Wheaton came close to earning a point in the doubles competitions today, as Janet Kondo and Audrey Vick forced a tiebreaker in their #2 doubles fixture. But their NCC counterparts eventually prevailed, and the Cardinals went into the singles matches needing only two wins to earn the trophy. Three of the singles matches remained unfinished as the scoreline had reached a decision, but Abygale Ahn performed well in her final match for the Thunder, winning the first set of her #2 singles event, 6-4.

Upon the conclusion of the tournament, Wheaton's Lydia Adams and Lily Anne Van Ye were awarded the CCIW Elite 26 honor for having the highest grade point averages of the players competing in today's championship match.

Wheaton can now reflect on a successful season in which the team won 17 matches and reached the conference tournament championship. With only two senior players on this year's roster, there will be a strong returning core for the Thunder next season as the team looks to build on 2022-23's performance.