Centennial Conference Preseason Poll
Centennial Conference Team-by-Team Preview
HAVERFORD – The Haverford College men's tennis team has been picked to finish third in the Centennial Conference in the annual voting of head coaches. The Fords received 60 voting points to edge out Franklin & Marshall for the third slot.
Defending Centennial Conference Champion Johns Hopkins was picked first in the poll, while rival Swarthmore finished second in the preseason voting. Washington College just edged out Dickinson College for the fifth spot in the poll.
Haverford will have to replace one of the program's most decorated players in Luis Acaba '16. Acaba was a four-time All-Centennial Conference selection in singles, earning first-team honors in each of the past three seasons. He was also a three-time All-CC honoree in doubles, earning first-team accolades twice. Harrison Elbert '16 was the other half of the Fords' dynamic duo at the top of the lineup who has graduated from the team. Zack Mason '16 was also a key contributor to the lineup during his four seasons.
However, the Fords have more the capable replacements waiting in the wings. Josh Moskovitz was named the Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year last season after posting 11 wins in singles and playing two matches in the No. 1 position. Junior captains Dais Nakayama and Ishaan Prinz also return. Prinz won 10 singles matches, while Nakayama was named second-team All-CC in doubles and honorable mention in singles last spring. Eli Phelps, who went 5-1 in singles last year, will also look to move up the lineup this spring.
To offset the losses of last year's senior class, the Fords welcome seven incoming freshman to the team. Of that group, Kevin Yan has already competed in the ITA Southeast Regional Championship singles draw where he won a match and teamed up with classmate David Kong in championship doubles. Rob Kresch and Arnav Patodia advanced to the Blue 1 Doubles championship match, while Raja Arul was an entrant in the Blue 2 singles draw.
Men's tennis has qualified for the Centennial Conference Tournament in six straight seasons, and 10 of the last 11 overall. The Fords have made it to at least the semifinal round in each of those seasons with three appearances in the title match. The team will be looking for its first championship match appearance since 2013 this spring.
Haverford opens the season this Saturday with a pair of nationally-ranked opponents as it takes on No. 24 Whitman and No. 28 Christopher Newport as part of the Swarthmore Invitational.