SCIAC Preseason Men's Tennis Coaches Poll
LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. – The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) announced the 2023 Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) predicted to win their 16th-straight title as the Bulldogs are predicted to finish third behind Pomona-Pitzer (P-P).
All eight first place votes went to the Stags. The Bulldogs have 42 points, just two points in front of Caltech who finished ahead of them in 2022. The Sagehens in second place received 55 points.
Head coach Pete Yellico will be entering his second season with the Bulldogs. In 2022, he led the University of Redlands to a 9-9, 3-4 SCIAC record finishing fifth in the regular season standings. The Bulldogs wrapped up the season ranked 26th in the Division III National Polls, maintaining a streak of ranked finishes dating back to 1992 (not ranked in 2020 or 2021 due to COVID-19).
The Bulldogs enter 2023 as the No. 25 ranked team in the country according to the International Tennis Association (ITA) Collegiate Tennis Rankings. They are also ranked No. 7 in the West Region.
Redlands is one of six SCIAC teams ranked inside the Top-40 joining No. 5 Claremont-M-S, No. 9 Pomona-Pitzer, and No. 16 Caltech as the only conference teams ahead of the Bulldogs.
On the individual side, the Bulldogs return 2nd Team All-SCIAC performer Stefan Hester (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) who is the top ranked Bulldog, finishing the fall season as the No. 28 player in the country.
The Bulldogs open their spring 2023 schedule with No. 27 Brandeis University at home inside the new Verdieck Tennis Center on Thursday, February 23 beginning at 5:00 p.m.
For more information on the 2023 season, read the full preview.