Men's tennis earned varsity status in 1965, but the history of the sport at Colby dates back much further. Students participated in lawn tennis in 1880, and clay courts were played on in 1891. As in other sports on campus at the time, students ran and coached the team during the early 1900s.
In 1990-91 Joshua Wolman '91 became the first player to make the NCAA Tournament in singles play. He also won the Maine State title that season.
Colby's women's tennis received varsity status during the 1967-68 academic year and had the good fortune of having Marjorie Bither as the first coach of the program.
Bither, the C Club Person of the Year in 1984, led the women's tennis team to a 38-4 record over a four-year period from 1971 to 1974. She was the tennis coach until 1979-80.
In 2002-03, Sara Hughes '05 and Britt Palmedo '03 became the first Colby players to participate in the NCAA Championships. The two earned All-America status in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) ranking after finishing the season ranked ninth in Division III in doubles.
Hughes earned the NESCAC Female Sportsmanship Award after the 2005 season and teamed up with Allison Dunn '07 to earn All-America honors in doubles.
Margaret McCrudden '92 was an NCAA Championships alternate during the 1988-89 season when she was honored as the top women's tennis player in Maine and finished the season ranked 16th in the nation in singles.
