In a poll released today of Horizon League coaches, the Chicago State men's tennis team was selected to finish fifth in the North Division of the two-division conference.
The Cougars will compete as an affiliate member of the Horizon League for the second consecutive season before moving to the Northeast Conference (NEC) with all other Chicago State sports programs next season. The Horizon League has a total of 11 men's tennis teams split into two divisions. The North Division includes Chicago State, Cleveland State, IUPUI, Northern Kentucky and Youngstown State, while the South Division consists of Belmont, Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, Southern Indiana, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech.
"The men have an opportunity to go hunting," head coach
Jack Barton said. "There's no target on our back so we can play a lot looser and be more aggressive with less pressure. We are still shaping the team to have consistent success for years to come and we have added student-athletes to the team that gained a lot of experience from last season and can potentially make us dangerous if we stay focused."
Cleveland State was picked to win the North, followed by Northern Kentucky, Youngstown State and IUPUI. In the South Division, Belmont was the top selection followed by Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, Lindenwood, Southern Indiana and Eastern Illinois. Belmont was selected as the overall champion. The complete poll is listed below.
The Cougars will begin their 2024 spring schedule Friday, January 26, at 2 p.m. welcoming Creighton to the H-F Racquet & Fitness Club in Homewood (2920 183rd St, Homewood, IL 60430). The Cougars have 20 matches scheduled for the Chicagoland area this spring which includes away matches against UIC, Chicago, Prairie State, Roosevelt, St. Francis and Northwestern with outdoor match on the Chicago State campus (weather permitting) against Cleveland State and Youngstown State.
2024 Under Armour Men's #HLTennis Preseason Poll
North Division
Pl. Team – Pts. (First-place votes)
1 Cleveland State (3) -- 22
2 Northern Kentucky (1) – 19
3 Youngstown State (1) – 18
4 IUPUI – 10
5 Chicago State – 6
South Division
Pl. Team – Pts. (First-place votes)
1 Belmont (6) – 36
2 Tennessee State – 27
Tennessee Tech – 27
4 Lindenwood – 13
5 Southern Indiana – 12
6 Eastern Illinois – 11
Projected 2024 Horizon League Men's Tennis Champion
Belmont – 9
Cleveland State – 1
Tennessee Tech – 1
About Chicago State Athletics
Chicago State University Athletics is composed of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994.
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