Yale Athletics

On Sep. 17, 2021, Walker Oberg ’25, Luke Neal ’25, Aidan Reilly ’25 and Renaud Lefevre ’25 suited up to take on the Boston College Eagles at the Dartmouth Invitational. Oberg and Lefevre won in straight sets, while Reilly and Neal won in three.

After that dominating performance, there was no looking back for the four members of the Yale men’s tennis class of 2025. In October 2021, all four helped the Bulldogs take home two 6-0 victories by sweeping both days at the Harvard Invitational. And their home defeat in March 2023 against a previously unbeaten squad from the New Jersey Institute of Technology served as a launching pad for the team for their success that spring.

Then, in 2024, the class of 2025 helped the team get off to a blistering start, one that saw the Bulldogs victorious in their first four matches, and that concluded with Theo Dean ’24 and Reilly earning All-Ivy accolades. Reilly was named captain soon after, and he has led the Elis to new heights in his senior year. In March, the Bulldogs beat Cornell for the first time since 2013.

The group of seniors has helped foster a team environment where teammates play for one another. “It’s been incredible to come into a team with such a close bond, and have the opportunity to work hard every day towards pushing the team’s results forward,” Neal wrote to the News. “I wouldn’t have wanted to play anywhere else.” The class of 2025 has helped the Bulldogs reach double digit wins in each of the last four seasons.