Link: GNAC Release
Winthrop, Mass. - The Albertus Magnus College men's tennis team has been picked to finish in seventh in the 2020 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was released on Friday morning. The poll is voted on by the league's eight head coaches.
Albertus finished last season with a winning overall record of 8-7 and a 2-1 conference mark. Albertus defeated last season's conference foes Rutgers University-Newark and Rutgers University-Camden in close matches, winning both by a score of 5-4. Albertus also defeated new conference opponent Lesley University on two separate occasions, winning the first match 7-2 and the second match 8-1.
The Falcons return a core of their top players from last season. Senior Nick Tagliaferri (Hamden, Conn.) posted an 8-2 record last season in singles play and a 4-5 record in doubles competition and seems poised to lead the Falcons again this season. Sophomore Zak Levine (Hamden, Conn.) is also returning after posting an 8-7 mark in doubles play and a 9-5 mark in singles play. Sophomore Alex Hale (Wolcott, Conn.) returns to the Falcons ranks after a freshman campaign that saw him record an 8-7 mark in both singles and doubles play.
With their talented roster, the Falcons earned 14 points, finishing in seventh place, above Lesley University (9 points).
Eastern Nazarene College took the top spot in the rankings, earning 64 points and all eight first-place votes. Johnson & Wales University slotted into the number two spot, with a score of 47.
Colby-Sawyer College and Regis College (Mass.) finished within two points of each other, earning 39 and 37 points, respectively, securing the third and fourth slots and rounding out the top half of the rankings.
Suffolk University (26 points) and Norwich University (24 points) snagged the middle slots in the rankings, coming in at fifth and sixth place and finishing within two points of each other.
2020 GNAC Men's Tennis Preseason Poll
1. Eastern Nazarene (8) - 64
2. Johnson & Wales - 47
3. Colby-Sawyer - 39
4. Regis - 37
5. Suffolk - 26
6. Norwich - 24
7. Albertus Magnus - 14
8. Lesley - 9
