CANTON, Ga. - The Trinity Tigers were selected as the 2026 preseason favorite for the Southern Athletic Association title.
Trinity captured seven first place votes for 56 points while Sewanee had one first place vote for 49 points. The Pirates of Southwestern totaled 45 points while Oglethorpe and Rhodes tied for fourth with 34 points.
Voting was conducted among the SAA’s eight head coaches.
2026 MEN’S TENNIS PRESEASON POLL RESULTS
1. Trinity - 56 (7)
2. Sewanee - 49 (1)
3. Southwestern - 45
T4. Oglethorpe - 34
T4. Rhodes - 34
6. Berry - 26
7. Centre - 21
8. Millsaps - 15
Trinity ranks No. 14 in the ITA polls heading into the Spring season after being No. 21 in the Fall and posting a strong performance at the ITA Regionals. The Tigers made it to the third round of the NCAA playoffs last season after defeating No. 18 Pomona-Pitzer. Returning for Trinity is the SCAC Newcomer of the Year, Rocco Mendez, along with five other All-Conference selections.
Sewanee pushed Jakobi, Lammert, and Wrigley to the round of 16 in singles at the ITA South Regional this Fall and the round of 16 last season in the NCAA playoffs before falling to No. 6 Emory. The men have 11 SAA championships under their belt.
The Pirates had an impressive 16-7 overall and 8-1 conference record in 2024-25 that led them to a runner-up SCAC title, falling to Trinity. Southwestern returns All-Conference athlete, Ashton Ellis to their squad.
The 2026 SAA Men’s Tennis Championship is slated for April 24-26 in Memphis, Tennessee, at the Leftwich Tennis Center.
For more information on all things SAA, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the SAA's home on the internet at
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