ST. PAUL, Minn.- The University of Northwestern Men's Tennis team is coming off a historic season in 2021. The Eagles set the program record for wins in a season, finishing with a fantastic record of 20-9. The Eagles started the season with a bang, winning their first 12 matches of the year, the best start to a season in program history.
Once again, the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference is expecting big things from the UNW Men's Tennis squad. The UMAC released its preseason coaches' poll on Tuesday and the Eagles won a tight race at the top of the poll and were picked to win the conference.
If the preseason poll is any indication, it will be a competitive year at the top of the UMAC standings. The Eagles sit atop the poll with 15 points, and Wisconsin-Superior is a single point behind them having received 14 points. The Yellowjackets have nine returning players from a team that finished second in the conference last season, and lost in the conference championship game.
Bethany Lutheran finished in third place in the poll having received 9 points, and Martin Luther and Minnesota-Morris came next finishing in a tie with six points.
The Eagles have not won a conference championship since 1979 and a conference tournament championship since 2018. There are a lot of reasons to believe this could be the squad to end that drought.
One of the top reasons to be excited for the Eagles' season is the return of
Stewart Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool). As a freshman, Morrell put the UMAC tennis world on notice. Morrell turned in one of the strongest seasons you will see from a freshman in 2021. Morrell finished with a singles record of 21-4 and a doubles record of 17-8. The 21 singles wins etched Morrell in the UNW record books, setting the record for most singles wins in a singles season. Morrell was named All-Conference for his incredible season, and was named a UMAC Sportsmanship Award winner for his conduct off the court. Eagles' fans have a lot to be excited about as Morrell prepares for his sophomore campaign.
Another strong player returning for the Eagles is
Adam Ryerse (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge). The junior is coming off a season where he was extremely consistent, going 14-6 in singles matches and 15-8 in doubles matches. Ryerse is another Eagle who is coming off of an All-Conference season. Ryerse is now a veteran on this Eagles' squad and will be one of the leaders as UNW contends for a conference championship.
Another junior returning for the Eagles this season is
Jack Geurkink (Hudson, Wis./Hudson). Geurkink has put together a strong career so far as an Eagle and is going to be a big part of the squad once again this season. The junior was named UMAC Player of the Week twice last season, had a singles record of 15-3, and had a doubles record of 11-8.
It has been 42 years since the Eagles have won a men's tennis conference championship, and with combination of experienced returners and talented newcomers the Eagles will have a chance to end that streak in 2022. The Eagles start their journey to the championship with a match against Saint Mary's on Friday, January 28
th. You can follow along with UNW men's tennis all season long at unweagles.com.
