YORK, Pa. -- The Capital Athletic Conference announced the results of the 2017 Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll on Friday, with the Christopher Newport men's tennis team selected to finish second overall. The nationally-ranked Captains (6-6, 0-0) will host the preseason favorite University of Mary Washington on Saturday in the team's first league action of the spring. Match time is set for 3:00 pm.
CNU, under the leadership of fifth-year Director of Tennis
Eric Christiansen, picked up 43 points in the annual poll, in which coaches can not vote for their own team. The head coaches selected the Eagles (49 pts) as the favorites after they captured the program's 17th straight conference championship last season. CNU reached the title match for the second straight year in 2016.
Salisbury (37 pts), Southern Virginia (28 pts), and St. Mary's College of Maryland (26 pts) rounded out this year's top five, while York College of Pennsylvania (21 pts), Penn State Harrisburg (11 pts), and Frostburg State (9 pts) complete the poll.
Christiansen graduated just one senior from last year's conference runner-up starting lineup, and has leaned on a strong contingent of young players again in 2016-17. The Captains are led by juniors
David Reed and
Justin Cerny, while rookies
Andy Mason and
Dominic Lacombe have been injected into the starting rotation. Lacombe leads the squad with nine wins in singles play this season, while Cerny and Reed have each collected CAC Player of the Week honors at least once this season.
The Captains opened the year with a 6-3 start, picking up tight victories against four nationally-ranked opponents. Six of CNU's 12 duals this season have been decided by just one point, as Christiansen continues to challenge his young team with a tough schedule. On Saturday, that continues with the start of conference play, as CNU hosts 21st-ranked Mary Washington at 3:00 pm.
The Eagles are 7-4 to start the year, with a 1-0 record in CAC action. Mary Washington is coming off an 8-1 win over Washington & Lee, and boasted a six-match winning streak earlier this season. Five individuals have reached double-digit win totals in singles this season, led by 13 from Matt Miles. Miles has also combined with three different partners for 14 doubles victories so far.
CAC Men's Tennis Preseason Poll
1. Mary Washington (7 first-place votes) - 49 points
2. Christopher Newport (1 first-place vote) - 43 points
3. Salisbury - 37 points
4. Southern Virginia - 28 points
5. St. Mary's - 26 points
6. York - 21 points
7. Penn State Harrisburg - 11 points
8. Frostburg State - 9 points
