GREENVILLE, S.C.– The Conference Carolinas office released the 2026 men's tennis preseason poll Friday morning, with Chowan University among the 13 institutions represented in the conference.
Chowan was selected 12th in the preseason rankings as the Hawks prepare to open spring play in late February. Players to watch this season include junior Marcel Ungerboeck of Kirchschlag, Austria; sophomore Thales Sette from São Paulo, Brazil; and senior Tadeo Sanchez from Tucumán, Argentina.
The Crusaders have won the last four Conference Carolinas Tournament titles and the regular season title last season. Belmont Abbey received 114 points and 10 first place votes to land atop the poll ahead of Francis Marion University. The Patriots received the final three first place votes and 123 points. Converse University came in third with 117 points with the University of Mount Olive following with 105 points. The top five is completed by Emmanuel University's 92 points.
Barton College (89), Young Harris College (89), Lees-McRae College (80), North Greenville University (64), Shorter University (34), King University (34), Chowan University (31), and Ferrum College (16) rounded out the poll.
The 2026 Conference Carolinas Men's Tennis Championship is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, April 22-Saturday, April 25 at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, South Carolina.
The preseason poll was voted on by the league's head coaches and they can't vote for their own school.
2026 Conference Carolinas
Men's Tennis Preseason Poll
|
School |
Votes (first place) |
| 1 |
Belmont Abbey |
140 (10) |
| 2 |
Francis Marion |
123 (3) |
| 3 |
Converse |
117 |
| 4 |
Mount Olive |
105 |
| 5 |
Emmanuel |
92 |
| 6 |
Barton |
89 |
| 6 |
Young Harris |
89 |
| 8 |
Lees-McRae |
80 |
| 9 |
North Greenville |
64 |
| 10 |
Shorter |
34 |
| 10 |
King |
34 |
| 12 |
Chowan |
31 |
| 13 |
Ferrum |
16 |
2026 Conference Carolinas Men's Tennis
Players to Watch
Barton
- Nicola Bottelberghs, So., Lokoren, Belgium
- Fredrik Foss, Jr., Oslo, Norway
- William Drake, Fr.-RS, Walstonburg, North Carolina
Belmont Abbey
- Ricard Novell, Jr., Barcelona, Spain (2025 first team All-Conference Carolinas, ITA Southeast Region Most Improved Player)
- Peru Bayo, So., Getxo, Spain (2025 second team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Isaac Buerkle, So., Albany, Georgia
Chowan
Converse
- Takuma Furumaki, Jr., Shizuoka-shi, Japan (2025 Conference Carolinas all-tournament team, 2024 third team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Marty Letessier, Sr., Nimes, France (2025 Conference Carolinas all-tournament team)
- Manuel Roncero, Jr., Valencia, Spain (2025 third team All-Conference Carolinas)
Emmanuel
- James Girdler, Sr., Abermain, Australia
- Murilo Martins, Jr., Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Aleksander Simovski, Jr., Johannesburg, South Africa
Ferrum
- Emanuel Ferreira, Fr., Londrina, Brazil
- Tobi Teller, Fr., Dreieich, Germany
- Sabastian Ondas, Fr., Kaierslautern, Germany
Francis Marion
- Miguel Maia, So., Barcelona, Spain
- Alexandre Frigout, Jr., Roseville, California
- Viktor Virághalmi, Fr., Szeged, Hungary
King
- Danny Neleman, So., Thornlie, Australia
- Bar Meshel, Jr., Bam Yat, Israel
- Lucas Machado, Fr., Sao Paulo, Brazil
Lees-McRae
- Isaac Yang, Jr., Lima, Peru (2025 second team All-Conference Carolinas )
- Tenzin Dorji, Gr., Thimpu, Bhutan
- Hudson Hoskins, Jr., Denton, Texas
Mount Olive
- Niklas Gruenefeldt, Sr., Angern an der March, Austria
- Kristoffer Dalbak, Jr., Oslo, Norway (2025 first team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Bram Poel, Sr., Leiden, Netherlands) (2025 second team Conference Carolinas)
North Greenville
- Louie Fletcher, Jr., United Kingdom
- Gabriel Pegoraro, Jr., São Bernardo do Camp (Third team All-Conference Carolinas)
- David Roseler, Jr., Stockholm, Sweden
Shorter
- Preston Spake, Jr., Bremen, Georgia
- Carlos TubÍo, Jr., Boiro, (A Coruna) Spain
- Agustin Yap, Jr., Vina del mar, Chile
Young Harris
- Noah Pawirodirjo, So., Netherlands (2025 third team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Guillem Busquets Brau, Sr., Sabadell, Spain
- Samuel Guzon, So., Dubnica Nad Vahom, Slovakia
