ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum University men's tennis team has been picked fourth in the annual South Atlantic Conference preseason coaches poll, the SAC office announced Friday.
Junior Will Gee is Tusculum's lone representative on the preseason All-Conference team, as chosen by the league's media relations offices, as a second-team selection in singles.
The Pioneers finished 16-7 last season and in fourth place in the SAC with a 9-3 record. Tusculum finished the 2024 season ranked 45th in Division II, and first-year head coach Garcian D'Cruz welcomes back five starters in singles.
Gee was third-team All-SAC in singles last season, as the Faversham, England native finished second on the team with 15 singles victories. Gee was 15-12 overall in 2023-24, including 10-11 in dual matches and 5-6 in conference play, while going 6-3 at flight two in singles.
Defending SAC champion Wingate earned 10 first-place votes to sit atop the preseason poll with 142 points, with the other three first-place votes to Catawba for a total of 135 points. Carson-Newman is third with 113 points, followed by Tusculum (108) and Lincoln Memorial (101) in the top five.
The rest of the poll consists of Lenoir-Rhyne in sixth with 93 points, followed by Limestone (74), Anderson (65), Coker (59), Newberry (46), UVA Wise (43), Mars Hill (22) and Emory & Henry (13).
Tusculum plays its spring opener in an exhibition match at UNC Asheville on Saturday, and hosts King in the first home match on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Conference play will begin on Wednesday, March 5 at Anderson.
2025 SAC Men's Tennis Poll
|
Rk |
School (1st) |
Pts |
|
1. |
Wingate (10) |
142 |
|
2. |
Catawba (3) |
135 |
|
3. |
Carson-Newman |
113 |
|
4. |
Tusculum |
108 |
|
5. |
Lincoln Memorial |
101 |
|
6. |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
93 |
|
7. |
Limestone |
74 |
|
8. |
Anderson |
65 |
|
9. |
Coker |
59 |
|
10. |
Newberry |
46 |
|
11. |
UVA Wise |
43 |
|
12. |
Mars Hill |
22 |
|
13. |
Emory & Henry |
13 |
2025 SAC Men's Tennis All-Conference
First Team Doubles
Andre Zamorano / Andres Cortes – Limestone
Vadym Rogynsky / Rufus Plane – Lenoir-Rhyne
David Negzaoui / Joshua Fritz - Newberry
Second Team Doubles
Carlo Rosellini / Luka Brown, Wingate
Gabriel Constantino / Florian Walcher, Wingate
Mateo Berne / Marcos Castares, Catawba
First Team Singles
Marnix Van Dalen - Carson-Newman
Gabriel Constantino – Wingate
Florian Walcher – Wingate
Carlo Rosellini – Wingate
Alexandru Giurea – Lincoln Memorial
Vincent Mico Fellonar – Anderson
Second Team Singles
Vadym Rogynski – Lenoir-Rhyne
Louca Bertone – Limestone
Yi-Hsuan Chen – UVA Wise
Mateo Berne – Catawba
Will Gee – Tusculum
Radu Florea – Lincoln Memorial
Players to Watch:
Andy Huynh, Coker
Sam Winter, Coker
Sasha Molina, Mars Hill
Diell Mehmedi, Mars Hill
Keenan Glago, Emory & Henry
Niclas Naedele, Emory & Henry
Chathurya Nilaweera, UVA Wise
Miguel De Rueda, UVA Wise
