courtesy naacsports.org

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- Defending champion Illinois Institute of Technology has been named the favorite to capture the 2023 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) men's tennis crown according to the annual preseason poll released Thursday.

Illinois Tech secured 126 points and 14 of 16 first-place tallies in the poll, which consists of votes from the league's head men's tennis coaches and athletics communications professionals. The Scarlet Hawks finished 12-9 overall and 7-0 in league play to win the 2022 crown. Illinois Tech also won the 2022 NACC Tournament, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championship after scoring a 5-3 win over Greenville in the opening round before falling to regional host University of Chicago.

Concordia University Wisconsin sits second with 113 points and the remaining two first-place votes, while Milwaukee School of Engineering edged Wisconsin Lutheran College for third place. The Raiders posted 87 points compared to the Warriors' 82. St. Norbert College is fifth with 72 points, followed by Lakeland University (42), Marian University (35), and Concordia University Chicago (19). Edgewood College returns to schedules in 2023 as the program returns from a short hiatus, but matches against the Eagles this season will be considered nonconference matches.

New Coaches: There is one new coach this season, as Kevin Friend takes over at Edgewood. Friend comes to Edgewood after spending the last seven years as head varsity coach at Oconomowoc High School. Additionally, St. Norbert head coach John Steckart moved into a permanent role last summer after serving as interim coach throughout the majority of the 2022 season.

Spring 2023 Schedule: Five of eight NACC programs - Concordia Wisconsin, Illinois Tech, MSOE, St. Norbert, and Wisconsin Lutheran - already have the spring portions of their 2022-2023 schedules underway, with Concordia Chicago beginning play on Feb. 25 and Lakeland and Marian joining the fray once the calendar turns to March.

The NACC slate begins Saturday, March 18, with Marian hosting Illinois Tech, Wisconsin Lutheran traveling to Concordia Chicago, and St. Norbert entertaining Lakeland. MSOE also hosts Edgewood in a nonconference match. Concordia Wisconsin enters the league race the following day (March 19) when they host WLC.

The final date of regular-season play is Sunday, April 16.

NACC Tournament: The top six teams in the final standings qualify for the 2023 NACC Men's Tennis Tournament. First-round play is slated for Monday, April 24, followed by semifinals on Thursday, April 27, and the final on Sunday, April 30. Both the first round and semifinals will be held at campus sites, while the final will be held at Sports Core Health and Racquet Club in Kohler, Wisconsin. The tournament champion receives the NACC's automatic berth in the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championship.

2023 NACC Men's Tennis Preseason Poll