Carson-Newman Men’s Tennis selected to finish 4th in the 2026 preseason poll
After a remarkable finish that included an upset victory in last season’s SAC Tournament, men’s tennis was projected 4th in the preseason poll, voted on by coaches around the conference.
VIDEO: Nate Gangelhoff Reacts to Preseason Poll
ROCK HILL, S.C. – After a remarkable finish that included an upset victory in last season's SAC Tournament, men's tennis was projected 4th in the preseason poll, voted on by coaches around the conference.
Carson-Newman was 7-5 last season in SAC play and 9-6 in the region. The Eagles will seek to improve on that mark and ultimately aim to make the NCAA regional. If C-N made it to the NCAA tournament, it would be their first appearance since 2006. If the Eagles won the SAC, it would be their first-ever conference title.
"I think it's a good reflection on how maybe we finished last spring. We started or ended really, really good last spring, and a little bit of reflection maybe from this past fall as well," said head caoch Nate Gangelhoff. "Preseason rankings don't mean a whole lot. It's just kind of what all the coaches maybe think of where we are at currently."
The voting is based upon a combination of last year's finish and potential offseason talent accrued for each team. Carson-Newman's ranking comes after a trip to the SAC Semifinals last season, where they pulled off an upset victory against #25 LMU in the quarterfinals before falling in the semis to Wingate.
"Every year it should be like the standard, and then every year we push for a little bit more and go a little bit further every single year," said Gangelhoff.
The Eagles are preceded in the preseason poll by the reigning champions, the Catawba Indians. Catawba advanced all the way to the second round of the NCAA tournament and received nine first-place votes in this year's poll. Wingate followed Catawba with two first-place votes, and LMU rounded out the podium positions at third.
"When you're slated for the preseason, you're like, I feel like we're better than that. But we have to go prove it. It's not just about saying all the stuff that you feel like you should be better than where your preseason ranking is. It has to be proven on the court. So we're just going to go to work, put our heads down, and get rolling soon," Gangelhoff said.
Carson-Newman received 96 points in the voting, while the next highest in LMU collected 110.
This season, the Eagles will be experimenting with a very new look. All-conference honoree Marnix Van Dalen has departed, but the offseason was productive for head coach Nate Gangelhoff. With the help of returners like Louis Keenan and Leonard Baecker and newcomers like EKU transfer Darko Kolevski, the young Eagles team will certainly bring an exciting punch to the SAC slate this season.
Lenoir-Rhyne is in 5th place behind the Eagles with 85 points. Carson-Newman opens its SAC schedule this season in Hickory to face the Bears.
Interestingly, Tusculum and Anderson landed tied for sixth in the poll at 75 points each. Coker slotted in the eighth slot with 67 points, while UVA Wise earned the ninth most votes with 61 points. Newberry, Mars Hill, and Emory & Henry rounded out the bottom of the poll.
Rank School / (1st Place Votes) / Points
1 Catawba (9) 130
2 Wingate (3) 124
3 Lincoln Memorial 110
4 Carson-Newman 96
5 Lenoir-Rhyne 85
6t Tusculum 75
6t Anderson 75
8 Coker 67
9 UVA Wise 61
10 Newberry 46
11 Mars Hill 31
12 Emory & Henry 24
Carson-Newman opens its season on February 5th with an exhibition match against Sewanee. For updates, follow @CN_Eagles on X and Instagram, or Carson-Newman Athletics on Facebook. Full coverage is also available at cneagles.com.
