NEW YORK — The 16th-ranked Columbia men's tennis team claimed at least a share of its sixth straight Ivy League title a week ago, but the Lions had unfinished business after sharing the label the previous two years.
 
From the beginning of the season, 37th-year Columbia head coach Bid Goswami has continued to reiterate how special this team is, and they definitely lived up to the billing on Saturday. Going down to the absolute wire, the Lions seized the crown outright, wrapping up conference play with an undefeated 7-0 mark after taking down Cornell, 4-2, in front of a roaring Columbia crowd at the Dick Savitt Tennis Center.
 
"It hasn't sunk in yet," said Goswami after the match. "If I had to write a script, I would do it this way, but it was too much tension. I think Cornell is a great team, so we had to play our best. Four out of six singles were three sets, so it could go anywhere. Momentum was sometimes going away, sometimes coming back, so I'm glad it turned out the way it did."
 
After winning the doubles point, Columbia (17-3, 7-0 Ivy) would drop five of its six first singles sets to load on the pressure. Ultimately, the Lions would force third sets on four of those courts, including junior Adam Ambrozy who rallied back from a third-set tiebreak deficit to clinch the match and the title with a gritty 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) decision at No. 3 singles.
 
"I'm in awe of the guys," said Goswami, who was also coaching his final regular season home match with plans to retire at the conclusion of the season. "I just said, 'Stay the course.' Until the last point, a good team always tries to find a way. I think we learned a lot as we went along how tough we are."
 
Senior leader and 33rd-ranked Victor Pham helped put the Lions up by two in the early goings, registering a three-set triumph over No. 100 Alafia Ayeni. Pham concludes conference play with a perfect 7-0 mark all on the top singles court.
 
Cornell (14-10, 5-2 Ivy) would even the score at 2-2 as Timothy Wang and Austen Huang fell on courts five and six, respectively. Sophomore Jack Lin, ranked No. 22 by the ITA, put the Lions back on top after grinding out a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Cornell's 56th-ranked David Volfson.
 
The entire facility was at maximum tension watching the two remaining courts. Ambrozy would ultimately pull off the win, despite trailing 2-4 early in the tiebreak. Sophomore Rian Pandole trailed 5-3 in the third set as the match was clinched.
 
Columbia's Dick Savitt Tennis Center was filled to the brim with alumni, friends and family, all paying tribute to Goswami's 37-year legacy.
 
"I just wanted to win it more for them," said Goswami. "Of course, I was greedy after we clinched it that I wanted to win it outright. But more than anything else, Jackie (Blackett) had organized a party and there were so many guys that were going to be in the boathouse that I just felt, for all our Columbia tennis family, if we could win it, it would be an unbelievable feat."
 
And an unbelievable feat it was.
 
Columbia will wait to find out where it will kick off the NCAA Tournament next weekend as the NCAA selection show is set to air on Monday, April, 29, at 6 p.m. ET on NCAA.com. Purchase the 2019 Ivy League Championship t-shirt today by clicking here.
 
For the latest on the Columbia men's tennis, follow @ColumbiaMTennis on Twitter and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.