The men’s tennis team won its first Atlantic 10 Championship since 1979 Sunday, topping second-seeded Xavier 4-0.

The top-seeded Colonials took an early lead with victories in the first and third doubles matches to secure the lone doubles point. Senior Erik Hannah gave GW a quick 2-0 lead with a 6-0, 6-0 win in the No. 4 singles match and sophomore Alexander van Gils won 6-1, 6-3 at No. 6 singles to put GW up 3-0. Senior Chris Kushma clinched the conference title for the Colonials with a 6-3, 6-2 win.

The A-10 title is the culmination of four years of progress for the men’s tennis team, which has earned the top seed in the conference tournament in each of the past three seasons but never managed to survive the tournament. By virtue of its conference championship, the Colonials will advance to the NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championship May 19-30 hosted by Stan ford.