WAUKESHA, WIS.—The Illinois Institute of Technology Scarlet Hawks claimed the No. 1 spot on the 2020 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Preseason Men's Tennis Poll with 128 points and a unanimous 16 first-place votes casted by sports information directors and head coaches. Illinois Tech took second on last season's preseason poll with 186 points and seven first-place votes.

Their preseason projection is off the heels of an 18-10, 9-0 NACC record in 2019 that resulted in the NACC Regular Season and Tournament Championship. It punched them a ticket into the 2019 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Tournament, which marked IIT's first NCAA Tournament appearance in any sport. 

IIT's third season of varsity competition is in full swing, which began with a 9-0 win over Wabash College on January 25. 

The Scarlet Hawks will travel to North Central College (Ill.) on Friday, February 14 at 5:00 p.m.

2020 NACC Preseason Men's Tennis Poll

1. Illinois Tech (16) 128 points 18-10, 9-0 NACC

2. Concordia Wisconsin 112 points 16-8, 8-1 NACC

3. MSOE 92 points 11-10, 7-2 NACC

4. Edgewood 82 points 8-14, 6-3 NACC

5. Dominican 60 points 6-9, 4-5 NACC

6. Marian 43 points 3-9, 3-6 NACC

7. Wisconsin Lutheran 32 points 1-12, 1-8 NACC

8. Lakeland 27 points 2-12, 2-7 NACC