Columbia University Athletics

Coach Goswami on Nichifor: “Mihai has been a solid performer ever since he joined Columbia. Powerful serves and good ground strokes make him a top Ivy League player.”

Fall 2009: Qualified for the main draw of the ITA All-American championships in Tulsa … upset then-No.17 San Diego’s Dean Jackson 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, in the consolation bracket … with doubles partner Kevin Kung, beat Francois Van Impe and David Bendeheim of Nebraska, 8-2 at the UVA Invitational … also won his first round singles match in the A-1 bracket, beating Wake Forest’s David Hopkins, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 … beat Penn State’s Jason Lee in the first round of the Princeton/Farnsworth Invitational … won four matches at the ITA Regionals to advance to the quarterfinals, including wins over players from Binghamton, Harvard and Yale.

Spring 2009: Earned second-team All-Ivy honors in singles, and first-team All-Ivy League honors in doubles, with partner Bogdan Borta … went 16-2 in singles, including a perfect 7-0 in Ivy League matches … went 5-2 in conference doubles matches with Borta … ranked seventh in the Northeast Region by the ITA at the start of the season … won in straight sets at No. 3 singles against Boston College in the ECAC Quarterfinals … won at No. 3 singles in the ECAC Semifinals against Brown, 7-5, 6-1 … won in three sets at No. 3 singles against Harvard in the ECAC Finals … helped Lions clinch at least a share of the title with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Penn’s Adam Schwartz … earned the first singles point in Columbia’s sweep of Princeton to secure Ivy League championship title.


Fall 2008: Placed in the “A” flight consolation bracket of the Virginia Invitational, defeated teammate Jon Wong, 6-3, 6-4 ... also defeated fourth-seeded Keziel Juneau of William and Mary in the consolation final ...  reached the singles final at the Princeton Invitational, falling to Wong, 6-3, 7-5 ... won the “A” flight singles title at the Columbia Classic, defeating Cornell’s Jon Jaklitsch, 6-4, 6-2 in the championship match.

At Manhattan College: Competed for two years at Manhattan College, earning second team All-MAAC honors each season ... played No. 2 slot behind teammate Bogdan Borta as a freshman, then moved up to No. 1 the following year ... also named to MAAC All-Academic Team. In Romania: Was a three time National Champion of Romania... won a bronze medal in the European Championships in doubles play ... won a gold medal in the Eastern European Championships in both singles and doubles... earned a bronze medal at the Orange Bowl Doubles in the World Junior Championships.

Personal: Parents are Ecaterina and Feodor ... civil engineering major.