Record-breaking couples match multiplies Match Day 2026 excitement

T.H. Chan School of Medicine students in the Class of 2026 celebrated at UMass Chan Medical School on Friday, March 20, after simultaneously tearing open envelopes and discovering where they’ll train as residents. A total of 172 students participated in this year’s National Resident Matching Program at UMass Chan—the largest group ever because of the increased class size—and featured 36 students in couples matches, more than in any other year in the school’s history.

For couples hoping to match together, anxiety is doubled on Match Day. Partnered future physicians waited for their results, hoping to match into residencies in the same region or general vicinity. High school sweethearts Riley Magane and Dylan Leonard hugged after learning they had matched into internal medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

“Dylan and I have been together for over 10 years. With last names starting with L and M, we sat next to each other in most of our classes from middle school until sophomore year at King Philip High School,” said Magane. “From supporting each other through the most intense parts of medical school like exams and clinical rotations, to finding ways to make each other’s lives better, being together made med school easier.”

“Growing up alongside Riley has been the best part of my life,” said Leonard. “From growing up ten minutes from each other to attending college in different states, UMass Chan gave us the opportunity to return to the same place and navigate medical school together. Who wouldn’t want their best friend at their side for that?”

In addition to the large number of couples matching, this year’s match was notable for another reason. In opening remarks, Terence R. Flotte, MD, the Elisabeth Chair for the Dean of Medicine, provost and executive deputy chancellor, noted that Chancellor Michael F. Collins will step down from his role as chancellor at the end of June having stewarded 2,260 medical student matches since his arrival on UMass Chan’s campus in 2008. Dean Flotte said that growth was a hallmark of Chancellor Collins’ leadership, adding that medical student class size has more than doubled, two regional campuses have opened and four buildings have been added.

Collins had his own message for the soon-to-be physicians.

“The match is extraordinary. Your medical school is extremely proud of you,” he said. “I’ve had the opportunity to see over 2400 of you go on to residencies across the world. Irrespective of what’s on the paper, remember that you’re there for a reason, and the reason will be those you care for.”

MD/PhD students Bethany Berry, two-time UMass student trustee, and Pryce Michener, who tied the knot in 2025, were overjoyed to learn that they had matched in psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education in Minnesota.

Michael Ennis, MD, professor of family medicine & community health, has been guiding medical students through couples match for more than a decade.

“Couples match is notorious for being difficult,” said Dr. Ennis. “It’s a rich part of my work to help guide students through this process because each situation is unique and highly individualized. Based on chosen specialties, the strength of residency applications, which of the geographic regions favorable to the couples match is to their liking, their willingness to risk matching into a combination that leads to a long-distance relationship for 3+ years, the most consistent aspect of the couples match is that it’s highly nuanced.”

Sonia Radu, MPH, of Romania, matched into a psychiatry residency program at Tufts Medical Center, while FaceTiming her partner, Alexa Pisciotti, a fourth-year medical student at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, who matched at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in anesthesiology. The two plan to meet up with their families tonight in the city where they matched: Boston.

Exemplifying UMass Chan’s mission to train primary care physicians, 61 students matched in internal medicine, family medicine and pediatrics, representing 35 percent of the Class of 2026. Further fulfilling the Medical School’s mission to care for the people of the commonwealth, 60 members of the class will complete some or all of their residency training in Massachusetts, including 30 staying at UMass Chan campuses.

Watch the full Match Day celebration on Facebook and YouTube.