2025 NEC Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches Poll          1. Binghamton (7)          2. FDU (2)          3. Le Moyne          4. LIU          5. Wagner          6. Mercyhurst          7. Saint Francis          8. Stonehill          9. Chicago State          First place votes in parentheses

Bridgewater, NJ -- After bursting onto the NEC men’s tennis scene with tournament titles in each of its first two seasons as an associate member, Binghamton is eyeing the hat trick this spring as it hunts a three-peat in NEC men’s tennis.
 
The Bearcats were selected as the preseason favorites in the annual coaches’ poll with seven first place votes. FDU finished second and earned the remaining two first place nods.

Le Moyne was picked third, followed by LIU, Wagner and Mercyhurst. Saint Francis, Stonehill and Chicago State rounded out the poll in that order.
 
Under reigning NEC Coach of the Year Nick Zieziula, the Bearcats return a pair of All-NEC First Team selections in junior Felipe Costa (Goiania, Brazil/Colegio Saber) and senior Ronin Lotlikar (Bengaluru, India/Gear Innovative). The duo, who combined for 41 singles wins last season, were both second team All-NEC picks in 2024.
 
This past fall, Lotlikar was one half of the winning doubles team in the top flight of the NateRentals.com Binghamton Championships in September. With that tournament run, Lotlikar represented the NEC at the ITA Conference Masters Tournament in November.
 
Senior James McPherson (Auckland, New Zealand/Saint Kentigern College), an All-NEC Second Team doubles selection for Binghamton last spring, is also back for the 2026 campaign.
 
The Bearcats made their 2025 NEC Championship run as the four seed, knocking off the top-seeded FDU in the semifinals. The Knights will look to avenge that setback in pursuit of the program’s 15th NEC crown and first since 2022.
 
Under Alex Cole - a legendary player at FDU in the late 90s - the Knights went 5-1 in conference play in his first season at the helm to earn the top seed in the NEC Tournament. Cole brings back a number of seasoned contributors, including All-NEC Second Team singles selections Tyler Crook (East Orange, NJ/FDU-Florham) and Gryffin Minor (Bedford, Nova Scotia/Charles P. Allen), as well as Crook’s All-NEC Second Team doubles partner Joshua Oboniye (Chicago, IL/Edmonton Christian).
 
The veteran-laden also returns senior Jorge Alonso Cortes (Boadilla del Monte, Spain/Rafa Nadal International) and junior Taurus Mickus (Radviliskis, Lithuania/ Radviliskis Lizdeika Gymnasium). Mickus earned NEC Player of the Month honors in October and racked up eight singles wins last fall.
Chicago State makes its NEC men’s tennis debut this season after competing as an associate member of the Horizon League last season.

Mercyhurst is eligible for NEC postseason play for the first time but remains ineligible for NCAA championship participation during their reclassification.

The NEC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships return April 16–18 to their longtime home at Mercer County Park in West Windsor, NJ. The winner will earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
 
About The NEC
Now in its 45th season, the NEC is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of ten institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league's official website (www.necsports.com) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.