MEN'S TENNIS: GNAC Unveils 2019 Preseason Coaches' Poll
Eastern Nazarene and Ramapo have topped their respective divisions in the annual preseason poll, as announced on Friday afternoon.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WINTHROP, Mass. – Eastern Nazarene College and Ramapo College have topped their respective divisions in the 2019 GNAC Men's Tennis Preseason Poll, as voted upon by the league's 10 head coaches.
ENC, which is currently in its first season as a GNAC associate member in men's and women's tennis, topped the North Division poll by sweeping all 10 first-place votes for 60 points overall. Ramapo also received all 10 first-place votes to lead the way in the South Division, as the Roadrunners have captured the last six GNAC Championships under head coach Raza Baig.
In the North after Eastern Nazarene, Regis College was second with 41 points, followed by Colby-Sawyer College with 40 points, Johnson & Wales University (RI) with 36 points, Suffolk University with 19 points, and Norwich University with 14 points.
After Ramapo in the South were Rutgers-Newark University with 25 points, Rutgers-Camden University with 22 points, and Albertus Magnus College with 13 points.
GNAC programs will play each team within their division once during the GNAC regular season this spring, with the top-two from each division advancing to the GNAC Tournament Semifinals on Saturday, April 27. The highest remaining seed from the North Division will host the 2019 GNAC Championship, scheduled for Saturday, May 4.
Beginning next year, the conference's New Jersey men's tennis associate members (Ramapo, Rutgers-Camden, Rutgers-Newark) will join the NJAC in the sport. In Spring 2020, the GNAC men's tennis landscape will feature seven teams and no divisional play.
2019 GNAC MEN'S TENNIS PRESEASON POLL
NORTH DIVISION
1) Eastern Nazarene (10) - 60
2) Regis - 41
3) Colby-Sawyer - 40
4) Johnson & Wales - 36
5) Suffolk - 19
6) Norwich - 14
SOUTH DIVISION
1) Ramapo (10) - 40
2) Rutgers-Newark - 25
3) Rutgers-Camden - 22
4) Albertus Magnus - 13
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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