Tennis selected fourth in NAC Preseason poll

Led by Senior Rob Wabshinak and junior Aaron Goldsmith, the Trailblazer men's tennis program was selected to finish fourth in the NAC preseason poll

March 8, 2017

Colby-Sawyer was unanimously selected as the preseason favorite in the 2017 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) East Division men's tennis coaches poll. The five-time NAC East Champions garnered all seven first-place votes for a total of 49 points, while 2016 NAC East runner up Castleton claimed second with a total of 42 points.

Thomas was tabbed third with 32 points, while MCLA claimed fourth just one point behind the Terriers. Green Mountain and Lyndon tied for fifth with 16 points apiece and Johnson State was voted seventh with 10 points.

Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league's head men's tennis coaches.

2017 NAC Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll

	Team	Points (First Place Votes)
1.	Colby-Sawyer	49 (7)
2.	Castleton	42
3.	Thomas	32
4.	MCLA	31
T5.	Green Mountain	16
T5.	Lyndon	16
7.	Johnson State	10

The top four teams in the 2017 poll competed in the NAC East four-team Championship Tournament a season ago. The Chargers claimed the No. 1 seed after finishing the regular season with a perfect 6-0 NAC East record, while the Terriers finished 5-1 (No. 2), the Spartans were 4-2 (No. 3), and the Trailblazers ended with a 3-3 conference mark (No. 4).

In the NAC East Semifinals, Colby-Sawyer claimed a 9-0 win over MCLA, while Castleton earned a 7-2 upset victory over Thomas. Then in the championship match, the Chargers defeated the Spartans 5-0 to win its fifth-straight NAC East Division championship and advanced to play in the NAC/NEAC Crossover Championship.

Colby-Sawyer earned the NAC Title with a 9-0 victory over Penn State Abington and earned the program's fourth-straight bid to the NCAA Tournament.

After falling in the program's first two NCAA appearances by a score of 5-0 and then a close 5-3 matchup in 2016, the Chargers nearly came away with the five points needed to clinch a first round victory in 2016. Unfortunately, after a four and a half hour marathon of a match, Colby-Sawyer was defeated by Nichols, 5-4.

Throughout the next three weeks all seven NAC East men's tennis teams will kick off their spring seasons and their quest for the 2017 conference title. The top four teams in the regular-season NAC East standings will qualify for the East Division Tournament, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 29, at Colby-Sawyer. The Crossover Championship against the NAC West champion, from the NEAC, is scheduled for Sunday, May 7, at Tri-City Tennis and Fitness Club in Latham, N.Y.

Click HERE to view the 2017 NAC Men's Tennis composite schedule.
Click HERE to view the 2017 NAC Men's Tennis conference only schedule.

2017 NAC Men's Tennis Previews

**For more information on each team, click the school name to be directed to the men's tennis section of each school's website.

1. Colby-Sawyer (15-6, 6-0 NAC East), the five-time defending NAC East champions, will be led by eighth-year head coach Barry Schoonmaker. The Chargers return last year's NAC Player of the Year, junior Gustav Jigrup (Gothebburg, Vastra Frolunda, Sweden) and NAC Rookie of the Year, sophomore Alex Wright (St. Austell, Cornwall, England; pictured right). Jigrup went 13-4 overall and 5-0 in the conference last season and will be in the No. 1 slot again this year. Wright went 13-7 overall and 5-0 in the NAC primarily playing out of the No. 2 spot. Colby-Sawyer has already competed in five dual matches and a couple of tournaments and will resume action with a tilt at MIT before heading to Florida for several matches. The conference slate begins on April 1 at MCLA.
2. Castleton (11-4, 4-2 NAC East) enters 2017 after finishing as the NAC East runner-up a season ago with a squad comprised of many multi-sport athletes. Veteran head coach Bruce Moreton returns seven members from last year's squad, including his No. 1 singles player, Seth Marcil (Brattleboro, Vt.; pictured right). Other key returners include Kevin Rosset (Crans-Montana, Switzerland), Quentin Barthe (Tabanac, France) and Ryan Mulder (Ottawa, Ontario). The Spartans replace two graduating seniors with six freshmen, as the team looks to remain among the elite teams in the NAC East and capture its first title since 2011.
3. Thomas (8-8, 5-1 NAC East) will be led by eighth-year head coach Jeff Fowler. The Terriers will return two players in junior Zachary Disch (Waterville, Maine; pictured right) and sophomore Ross Munn (Brunswick, Maine). Last season, Disch was named to the NAC First Team in singles and doubles and played the No. 2 spot in singles (9-6 overall, 5-1 NAC East) and No. 1 in doubles (9-6, 4-2). Munn finished with a 7-9 (4-2 NAC) record in singles play last season in the No. 4 slot. The Terriers will see four new incoming freshmen compete this season. Thomas will endure a tough non-conference schedule in Hilton Head Island, S.C. to prepare for the conference regular season.
4. MCLA (4-7, 3-3 NAC East) returns under third year head coach Trevor Grimshaw. The Trailblazers qualified for the NAC East Tournament for the first time in school history in 2016 and will see a pair of All-NAC performers return in Aaron Goldsmith (Mattapan, Mass.; pictured right) and Rob Wabshinak (Brewster, N.Y.). The duo will form a strong 1-2 punch in singles and a dynamic pair in doubles. MCLA has a nine match slate in 2017 and will open the season on March 26 against Becker with conference play starting up on April 1 against defending champion Colby-Sawyer.
T5. Lyndon (3-9, 2-4 NAC East) will be led by Laura Laramee who enters her fifth season. The Hornets will look to the experience of Michael Sigsbury (Pownall, Vt.; pictured right), Tyler Hall (Keene, N.H.), and Jake LaCerda (Gray, Maine) to lead the team. Coach Laramee will lean on those key returners to help the newcomers improve as the season progresses. Lyndon will look to secure key conference victories to improve upon last season's record.
T5. Green Mountain (5-7, 1-5 NAC East) will be led by two-time NAC East Coach of the Year Ted Panasci who returns for his seventh season guiding the Eagles on the hardcourts this spring. Truman Cressey (Grantham, N.H.; pictured right) returns for his senior campaign to lead the team after posting a 6-6 record overall and 3-3 mark in conference play in 2016. With several graduates from 2016, all of the returners will be asked to shoulder more responsibility this season with most players moving up in the team's flights. With a senior core, the Eagles will rely on their experienced upperclassmen to help develop the younger players as the team looks to get back to the championship after missing out last season.
7. Johnson State (0-13, 0-6 NAC East) head coach Charlie Yerrick enters his fifth season leading the Badgers. The team will see junior Garrett Lane (Moretown, Vt.; pictured right) return and will look to lead the Badgers into a NAC East Tournament appearance.