Tennis tabbed fourth in NAC Preseason poll

Colby-Sawyer was the unanimous selection in the 2018 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) East Division men's tennis preseason coaches' poll. The six-time NAC East Champions garnered all six first-place votes for a total of 36 points, while Castleton and the 2017 NAC East runner up, Thomas, tied for second with a total of 27 points apiece.

MCLA was tabbed fourth with 16 points, while Lyndon claimed fifth with 11 points and Johnson was voted sixth with nine points.

Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league's head men's tennis coaches.

The top four teams in the 2018 poll competed in the NAC East four-team Championship Tournament a season ago. The Chargers claimed the No. 1 seed after finishing the regular season with an unblemished 6-0 NAC East record, while the Terriers finished NAC East play at 5-1 (No. 2), the Spartans posted a 4-2 record (No. 3), and the Trailblazers ended with a 3-3 conference mark (No. 4).

In the NAC East Semifinals, Colby-Sawyer claimed a 9-0 win over MCLA, while Thomas earned a 5-4 victory over Castleton. Then in the championship match, the Chargers defeated the Terriers 6-0 to win their sixth-straight NAC East Division championship and advanced to play in the NAC/NEAC Crossover Championship.

Colby-Sawyer earned the NAC Title with a 9-0 victory over Penn St. Berks, earning the program's fifth-straight bid to the NCAA Tournament.

On the national stage, the Chargers put up another great performance, but fell short dropping a 5-3 match to Baruch.

Throughout the next two weeks all seven NAC East men's tennis teams will have kicked off the spring season and their quest for the 2018 conference title. The top four teams in the regular-season NAC East standings will qualify for the East Division Tournament, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 28, at Castleton. The date and location for the Crossover Championship against the NAC West champion, from the NEAC, will be announced at a later date.

2018 NAC Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll