Greensboro, N.C. (2-9-12) — Guilford College’s men’s tennis team earned the third-place spot in the preseason Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Coaches’ Poll released Thursday. The Quakers’ women’s tennis team was picked seventh in voting by the league’s head coaches. Washington and Lee University’s women received 10 of 11 first-place votes and Hollins University picked up the final vote. Washington and Lee topped Bridgewater College for first in the men’s poll with nine of the 10 top votes.
Second-year head coach Dave McCain’s Quakers received 57 points in the men’s poll. Guilford returns five letter winners from last year’s 7-10 team. Senior captain Clayton Hamilton (Greensboro, N.C./Page (Greensboro)), a 2011 Second Team All-ODAC honoree, and sophomore Tyler Mercier (Bennington, Neb. /Westside), a Second Team All-ODAC pick and the 2011 Rookie of the Year, are two of Guilford’s key returnees. The pair formed the Quakers’ second-place first-doubles tandem in 2011 with a 12-4 record. Juniors Mark Cheong (Brooklyn, N.Y./Kent School (Conn.)), Ben Nelson (Charlotte, N.C./Homeschooled) and Charlie Smith (Steamboat Springs, Colo. /Steamboat Springs) plus four newcomers round out the lineup.
Guilford’s women’s team, also under the direction of McCain for the second year, returns two letter winners from last year’s 8-11 club. The Quakers earned 49 votes in the preseason poll. Junior Adelaide Ayres (Northampton, Mass./Northampton) and sophomore Natalie Sutton (Chapel Hill, N.C./Chapel Hill) are the lone veterans from last year’s squad.
Both teams open their spring schedule Friday, Feb. 10 at home against Bluefield College.
2012 ODAC Men’s Tennis Preseason Poll Place Team Points (first-place votes) 1. Washington and Lee 81 (9) 2. Bridgewater 66 (1) 3. Guilford 57 4. Hampden-Sydney 56 5. Roanoke 49 6. Emory & Henry 47 7. Virginia Wesleyan 35 8. Randolph-Macon 32 9. Lynchburg 17 10. Randolph 10 2012 ODAC Women’s Tennis Preseason Poll Place Team Points (first-place votes) 1. Washington and Lee 100 (10) 2. Hollins 86 (1) 3. Sweet Briar 79 4. Bridgewater 76 5. Roanoke 61 6. Virginia Wesleyan 55 7. Guilford 49 8. Randolph-Macon 39 9. Emory & Henry 27 10. Lynchburg 21 11. Randolph 12