Claremont-Mudd-Scripps sends women's, men's teams to NCAA Division III QFs

"I think first and foremost, the academic strength of those institutions draws in a really strong pool of interested student-athletes," she explained, speaking to USTA.com. "And then I think our coaches [women's head coach David Schwarz and men's head coach Paul Settles] are probably the next draw. Both have a proven track record of helping student-athletes achieve their goals on the tennis court. Both have a great track record of helping student-athletes improve throughout their career. So I think that's a big factor.

"We're also really fortunate to have what I think is the best facility in Division III and arguably one of the best facilities on the West Coast in the Biszantz Family Tennis Center."

Looking at the Division III women's field, Jasper spoke highly of the top-ranked Chicago program as well as CMS's conference rivals Pomona-Pitzer, whom they beat 5-4 to escape a challenging regional in the NCAA tournament. While a rematch with Chicago could await in the national final, the Athenas must first turn their attention to Amherst College for Sunday's quarterfinals.

The CMS men enter Orlando with a 21-4 record and a 14-match winning streak, despite playing the bulk of the season with just seven players on the roster. They face Washington University in St. Louis in Saturday's quarterfinals at the Campus.

"I couldn't be more proud of how that group has come together," said Jasper. "It's a long season, with injuries and other things that happen. I think their work ethic and ability to band together [has been key]. They've done a great job taking care of their minds and their bodies, to be able come through and win the conference yet again and continue the remarkable streak of SCIAC matches that we've won in a row.

"That's been tremendously exciting, and I couldn't be more proud of that group and how they've competed with only seven and having a little adversity. They dropped two tough matches to Tufts and Williams around spring break time, and I think they were feeling pretty tired and banged up. To kind of rebound and finish the season on such a high note, it's just exciting, and it's kind of what it's all about."

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A Washington State University Hall of Famer following her playing days with the Cougars, Jasper also enjoyed several coaching stints at the Division I level, most recently at the University of New Mexico from 2012-15. But while she expressed her appreciation for all levels of collegiate athletics, her heart belongs to Division III.

"What I find really different and also amazing about Division III, given our current college sports landscape, is I do believe we provide the true student-athlete experience," she explained. "There's no argument on our campus that our student-athletes are in fact students first, and they have the opportunity to do lots of other things on campus, whether it's clubs, participating in institutes, doing a semester abroad. Those are all things that a majority of our student-athletes do—and frankly, a lot of our elite, high-achieving student-athletes do.

"I think that's really what I love about Division III... I have a strong belief that college tennis and college athletics is part of higher education and I feel like my job is very much tied in to the missions of our institutions."