Hall of Fame

Charles Lai LEC Hall of Fame Head Shot

Charles Lai

  • Class
    2015
  • Induction
    2026
  • Sport(s)
    Men's Tennis
Charles Lai was an eight-time All-Little East Conference selection as a member of the men’s tennis program at UMass Boston from 2011-15. He was named First Team All-LEC three times in singles play and two times in doubles action. 

Lai helped lead the Beacons to their first LEC Championship Tournament crown in 2013, defeating UMass Dartmouth by a final count of 5-4. UMass Boston posted an overall record of 14-4 that season as it made its first-ever NCAA Division III Championship Tournament appearance.

To this day, Lai holds multiple program records, including total career matches won (97), doubles matches won (50), total matches played in a career (143) and in a season (41), doubles matches played in a career (74) and in a season (23), and singles matches played in a career (69).

Lai earned his bachelor’s degree from UMass Boston in 2015, and was inducted into the UMass Boston Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023. Following graduation, Lai stayed on as a member of the coaching staff, helping lead the men’s tennis team to its second championship in four years in 2017. 

Lai took the reins of both the men’s and women’s programs in 2019. After leading the men’s team to a perfect 7-0 conference record, the Beacons claimed the program’s third LEC tournament title win in a decade. On the women’s side, he led the program to their first-ever appearance in the LEC title match after recording a program record 14 wins during the regular season.