| Rk. |
School
|
Pts.
|
'18 NWC Record |
|
1
|
Whitman
|
61 (5)
|
8-0
|
|
2
|
George Fox
|
59 (3)
|
6-2
|
|
3
|
Pacific (Ore.)
|
46
|
5-3
|
|
4
|
Lewis & Clark
|
45 (1)
|
7-1
|
|
5
|
Linfield
|
37
|
3-5
|
|
6
|
Whitworth
|
31
|
4-4
|
|
7
|
Pacific Lutheran
|
21
|
2-6
|
|
8
|
Willamette
|
16
|
1-7
|
|
9
|
Puget Sound
|
8
|
0-8
|
(Points awarded on a 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Coaches could not vote for their own teams; numbers in parentheses indicate first place votes)
HILLSBORO, Ore. – The Whitman Blues men’s tennis team have been selected as conference favorites for the 2019 season, as voted on by conference coaches. The Blues received five first-place votes and 61 total points.
The Blues finished the 2018 with a pristine 8-0 record in conference play (17-8 overall), easily sweeping the NWC Championship with a 5-1 win over fourth-seeded Pacific (Ore.) and a 5-0 finals victory over second-seeded Lewis & Clark. At the NCAA Regional in St. Peter, Minn., The Blues pulled off a 5-4 upset over Gustavus Adolphus to advance to the national quarterfinals. Whitman fell to Middlebury in the quarterfinals, 1-5, to conclude their successful postseason run.
Returning for the Blues is 2018 All-NWC first team selection Ben Kirsh (Vancouver, B.C., Can.), who went 18-8 overall in singles play and 10-6 overall in doubles. Under Head Coach Jeff Northam in his 17thseason, the Blues are poised for another NWC Championship and NCAA postseason run.
George Fox ranks second in the poll, receiving three first-place votes and 59 points. The Bruins had a successful 2018 postseason campaign despite falling to nationally no. 31-ranked and second-seeded Lewis & Clark in the NWC Championship Semifinals. The team sent three to the NCAA West Region Championship, where they had a strong showing, advancing to the semi-finals in both singles and doubles. The Bruins’ season officially ended at the NCAA Championship where graduate Spencer Watanabe closed out his career in the individual finals. The team finished third in NWC standings, going 6-2 (13-5-1 overall).
2018 NWC Freshman of the Year Will Leach returns to lead the Bruins for the 2019 season alongside lone senior Justin Barton (Redding, Calif.)
Pacific (Ore.) received 46 points to rank third in the poll. The Boxers sported a 5-3 conference record (9-7 overall) and a fourth-place final seeding entering the NWC Championships in 2018. The team suffered two losses, first against second-seeded Lewis & Clark and again against third-seeded George Fox. Jonathan Chung (San Jose, Calif.) and Rayden Murata (Honolulu, Hawaii) return in 2019 after leading the Boxers in 2018 with 10-4 and 9-4 singles play records, respectively.
Lewis & Clark takes fourth in the poll, just one point behind Pacific with 45, including one first-place vote. After going 7-1 in conference play (12-6 overall), the nationally no. 31-ranked Pioneers capped off 2018 with a runner-up finish at the NWC Championships. Raed Attia (Cairo, Egypt.), one-half of the successful 12-2 duo alongside graduate Kei Inoue, returns to the Pios roster for the 2019 season.
Linfield earned 37 points to rank fifth in the poll. Up one spot from 2018 NWC final standings, the Wildcats look to build on their 3-5 conference record (6-11 overall) from the previous season. 2018 All-NWC first team selection Luis Rojas (Mexico City, Mexico) will return for his junior season with the Wildcats.
Whitworth ranks sixth in the poll with 31 points. The Pirates finished 2018 ranked fifth in conference standings with a 4-4 conference record (4-14 overall), just short of a NWC Championship berth. Lone senior Nick Hughes (Nampa, Idaho) will lead the Pirates in their quest for a postseason appearance in 2019.
Pacific Lutheran ranks seventh in the poll with 21 points. After finishing seventh in 2018 NWC final standings, the Lutes welcome Head Coach John Campbell in his first year with the program. The Lutes will be led by lone senior Justin Demattos (Shelton, Wash.) for the 2019 season
Willamette earned 16 points to rank eighth in the poll. Freshman Andrew Kabacy (Vancouver, Wash.) will lead the Bearcats in the 2019 season.
Puget Sound ranks ninth in the poll with 8 points. After graduating just one senior in 2018, the Loggers welcome five newcomers to the roster for the 2019 season.
After a short delay for several NWC teams due to weather, teams are expected to pick back up this Thursday, February 14th.