BIDDEFORD, Maine – Defending Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Men's Tennis Tournament Champion Roger Williams earned the top spot in this year's CCC Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll and will be in search of its second straight title.
The Hawks earned 76 points, including five of the possible nine first place votes, on the ballots cast by the league's men's tennis head coaches.
Roger Williams is coming off a successful 2021 campaign that saw the Hawks claim their first Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship since 2011. The team went 10-1 overall on the year, while going undefeated in conference play at 5-0. RWU dispatched Nichols 5-3 in the CCC Semifinals before clinching the title match 5-1 over Wentworth. This season, the Hawks look to defend their conference championship and earn their second straight berth to the NCAA Tournament.
This year's Hawk squad is heavily favored to finish atop the CCC, as the team returns their entire roster from last season, while adding four newcomers for the upcoming season. Guiding the Hawks will be 2021 CCC Coach of the Year
Barry Gorman, who enters his ninth season at Roger Williams. Leading the way for RWU on the court will be junior
Jon Trevethan (Berlin, Conn.), the reigning CCC Player of the Year.
Due to COVID-19 protocols in 2021, the CCC men's tennis group was split into two pods for conference play and non-conference competition was limited. RWU went undefeated during the regular-season at 10-0, earning the top-seed in Pod A and a trip to the CCC Semifinals. The Hawks were able to knock off eight-time CCC Tournament Champion Nichols in their semifinal match before defeating Pod B winner, Wentworth, to claim the CCC Tournament title. Roger Williams would finally take its first loss of the year in the 2021 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championship, falling to Grove City in the First Round.
Looking to reclaim its spot at the top of the conference is Nichols, which finished second in the year's poll with 74 points and the remaining four first place votes. The Bison were strong again in 2021, losing only three matches, all to the eventual champion Hawks as they battled for supremacy at the top of Pod A.
Endicott lands third in this year's voting with 62 points after failing to qualify for last year's reduced tournament field by means of a tiebreaker. The team that beat them out, Gordon, takes the fourth spot in this year's poll with 59 points.
Rounding out the top five is 2021 CCC Tournament runner-up and Pod B Champion, Wentworth. The Leopards earned 44 points in this year's voting after making their first-ever CCC Championship appearance last year.
The bottom half of the table consisted of Western New England (38 points), Salve Regina (24), Suffolk (23), and Curry (16) in that order.
The spring portion of the 2021-22 CCC men's tennis season begins with a non-conference matchup for Endicott on Monday, Feb. 21. The first CCC matches of the season take place on Saturday, March 26. The top seven teams at the end of the regular season will earn spots in the 2022 CCC Men's Tennis Championship Tournament, which begins with the quarterfinals on Saturday, April 30. The quarterfinal winners will advance to the semifinal round on Wednesday, May 4 before the CCC Championship match on Saturday, May 7. The winner of the championship game will be named 2022 CCC Men's Tennis Tournament Champion and earn the league's automatic qualifier into the 2022 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championship.
2022 CCC Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll
| |
Team |
Points (First Place Votes) |
| 1. |
Roger Williams |
76 (5) |
| 2. |
Nichols |
74 (4) |
| 3. |
Endicott |
62 |
| 4. |
Gordon |
48 |
| 5. |
Wentworth |
44 |
| 6. |
Western New England |
38 |
| 7. |
Salve Regina |
24 |
| 8. |
Suffolk |
23 |
| 9. |
Curry |
16 |
