Mid-American Conference

Western Michigan Selected To Win 2019 MAC Men's Tennis Regular Season Title;
Western Michigan Also Picked To Win 2019 MAC Men’s Tennis Tournament Championship
 
Cleveland, OH - The Mid-American Conference announced today the 2019 MAC Men’s Tennis Preseason Poll as voted upon by the MAC Men’s Tennis Head Coaches.  Western Michigan was selected to capture both the MAC regular season title and the 2019 MAC Men’s Tennis Tournament Championship.
 
Last season Western Michigan won the program’s 12th overall MAC Men’s Tennis Tournament title as the Broncos as the No. 1 seed defeated No. 2 seed Buffalo, 4-2.  Western Michigan won 11 straight matches throughout the end of the regular season and the MAC Tournament to receive the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament and completed the season with a 22-5 overall record.
 
Western Michigan finished first in the preseason poll and head coach Dave Morin, who was named the 2018 MAC Coach of the Year, will look to junior’s Jannik Opitz and Kennosuke Nouchi and senior Lenhard Haupt to lead the Broncos. Opitz, a native of Hildesheim, Germany, was a 2018 All-MAC First Team selection after posting a 16-4 overall record at No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 singles and a 15-7 overall record at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 doubles last year. Nouchi, a native of Kashima, Japan, was a 2018 All-MAC Second Team selection and went 11-10 overall at No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 singles and 15-7 overall record at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 doubles last season.  Haupt, a native of Mainz, Germany, was also a 2018 All-MAC Second Team selection and posted a 16-5 overall record at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 singles and a 6-4 overall record and No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 doubles last year. Senior’s Kris Knof, Eric Olivarez, Nick Schnobel and Matej Svjetlicic, sophomore Zac Faveri and freshmen Nicholas Hebda, Peter Kuszynski and Jack Randall will add depth to the Broncos roster.
 
Buffalo finished second in the preseason poll and head coach Lee Nickell will look for junior’s Hao Sheng Koay and Vilhelm Fridell and senior Ethan Nittolo to lead the Bulls.  Koay, a native of Kangar, Malaysia, was a 2018 All-MAC First Team selection and posted an 11-6 overall record at No. 1 singles and an 8-4 overall record at No. 2 doubles last year. Fridell, a native of Gothenburg, Sweden, was also a 2018 All-MAC First Team selection and added a 9-6 overall record at No. 2 and No. 3 singles in 2018. Nittolo, a native of Flushing, N.Y., was named 2018 All-MAC Second Team and went 13-7 overall at No. 2 and No. 3 singles last year. Sophomore’s Nickolas Frisk, Valdemar Holm and Matthew Johnson and freshmen Jonah Murphy and Simon Wibler complete the Bulls roster.
 
Northern Illinois finished third in the preseason poll and head coach Patrick Fisher will count on sophomore Kristopher Ortega and senior Eric Marbach to lead the Huskies.  Ortega, a native of Homer Glen, Ill., was the 2018 MAC Newcomer of the Year and was also a 2018 All-MAC First Team selection as he posted a 13-7 overall record at No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 singles and 10-10 overall record at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 doubles in 2018.  Marbach, a native of Naperville, Ill., was also a 2018 All-MAC First Team selection and added a 9-8 overall record at No. 1 and No. 2 singles and a 9-7 overall record at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles last year. Senior Erich Schutte, junior Bor Schweiger Muzar and Shao-Yu Yu, sophomore Victor Spolidorio and freshmen Mikko Malinen and David Pata round out the Huskies roster.
 
Ball State ranked fourth in the preseason poll and head coach Bill Richards will look to senior brothers Marko Guzina and Nemanja Guzina to lead the Cardinals.  Natives of Toronto, Canada, the Guzina brothers were both named 2018 All-MAC Second Team selections.  Marko Guzina posted a 11-11 overall record at No. 1 and No. 2 singles and a 12-13 record at No. 2 doubles last season. Nemanja Guzina added a 7-11 overall record at No. 1 and No. 2 singles and a 9-8 overall record at No. 1 doubles last year. Senior’s Conner Andersen and Tom Carney, sophomore’s Chris Adams, Bryce Bonin, Thibault De Negri, Khamasi Muhiga and Alec Robillard and freshman Danilo Kovacevic will add depth to the Cardinals roster.
 
Binghamton ranked fifth in the preseason poll and head coach Nick Zieziula will look for junior’s Kushaan Nath and Tiago Lourenco and senior’s Ludovico Cestarollo and Inigo Saez to lead the Bearcats.  Nath, a native of Delhi, India, was a 2018 All-MAC Second Team selection and posted a 9-13 overall record at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 singles and a 9-12 overall record at No. 1 doubles in 2018.  Cestarollo, a native of Rovereto, Italy, added a 2-4 overall record at No. 1 and No. 2 singles and 3-11 overall record at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles last year. Saez, a native of San Sebastian, Spain, went 8-14 overall at No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 singles and 4-14 overall at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 doubles last season. Lourenco, a native of Santa Maria Da Feira, Portugal, went 5-17 overall at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 singles and 16-24 overall at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles in 2018. Senior’s Velentin Bouchet and Josh Druger, junior Sebastian Quiros, sophomore Alejandro Pena and freshman Dylan Friedman complete the Bearcats roster.
 
Toledo ranked sixth in the preseason poll and head coach Al Wermer will look toward senior Vince Anzalone to lead the Rockets.  Anzalone, a native of Willoughby Hills, Ohio, posted a 6-14 overall record at No. 1 and No. 2 singles and a 4-13 overall record and No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 doubles last season. Senior’s Juan Carranza, Omar Espinosa, Serjen Olmedo, Reid Teatsorth and Luka Vitosevic, junior’s Thawin Suksathaporn and Danilo Vukotic, sophomore’s Nikola Arsic and Tyler Gargas and freshman Cole Shoults round out the Rockets roster.
 
The 2019 MAC Men’s Tennis Tournament is scheduled for April 19-21 on the campus of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich.
 
The complete voting totals are as follows with all six head coaches casting votes.
 
2019 MAC Men's Tennis Preseason Poll
1. Western Michigan (36)
2. Buffalo (28)
3. Northern Illinois (25)
4. Ball State (16)
5. Binghamton (11)
6. Toledo (10)
 
(total points based on 6 points for a first-place vote; 5 for second-place, etc.)
 
Regular Season First-Place votes: Western Michigan (6).
Tournament winner votes: Western Michigan (5); Northern Illinois (1).