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Kyle Schlanger was down to his last shot.

The Middlebury College senior had played in the NCAA Division III championship match during his freshman and sophomore seasons, and the Panthers fell short of winning the title.

Middlebury College Won Its Third NCAA Title

Rather than let the urgency of the moment overwhelm him this season, Schlanger used it to play more uninhibited.

Schlanger came through with two clutch wins, including the singles clincher in three sets, to help top-ranked Middlebury beat No. 3 Bowdoin 5-3 in a thrilling final on Wednesday afternoon at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center in Claremont, California.

“Obviously it feels amazing,” Schlanger said. “I walked out on the court today knowing I can only control 50 percent of what is going to happen, and I went out there accepting we could lose and I could lose my match today. But I knew I’d done everything I could to prepare myself and I think it allowed me to play a little bit freer in some big moments.”