WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University men's tennis team is set to begin the 2020 spring season as the 12-time defending Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) champions but will be met with a changed landscape within the league.

Last year the Colonels were undefeated at 7-0 in MAC Freedom play and competed for the 12th consecutive season in the NCAA Tournament under the direction of first-year head coach Victor Terranova. Wilkes won their NCAA Tournament First Round match for the fifth-straight year by defeating Nichols College 5-4.

Now, in his second season as head coach and with the graduation of top of the lineup players, Terranova is looking for this year's team to get better and improve.

"The goals for the men are simple," Terranova said. "Can we grow? This program has been successful for the better part of two straight decades. Now, it is time to get better and improve. We are now part of the hunting pack and we have to approach it with tenacity, discipline, and enthusiasm."

With the addition of Stevens Institute of Technology to the MAC Freedom the Colonels were selected to place second in the Coaches' Preseason Poll and earned two of the eight first-place votes. Stevens, will start the spring season ranked No. 31 in the Oracle/ITA Division III Men's National Team Rankings.

Terranova expects Co-Captains, senior Alec Levin (Cape May, NJ/Lower Cape May) and junior Mike Ellis (Phoenixville, PA/Phoenixville) to be leaders on and off the court.

"We are expecting great leadership in terms of creating an environment at all team functions where the goal is to positively challenge each other to be the very best they can be," Terranova commented. "This goes well beyond the court. They are buying into a system where by achieving our goals it will provide the tools in order to be successful well beyond college athletics. And, in doing so they are creating inspiration for the remaining players."

Ellis was a No. 1 Singles semifinalist at the 2019 MAC Individual Championship during the fall portion of the schedule.

Junior Isaac Shenton (Shippensburg, PA/James Buchanan) was named the MAC Freedom Player of the Week on September 16th following the Stevens Invitational. Juniors Jack Maline (Northport, NY/Northport) and Larry Scartz (Woodbridge, VA/Home School) advanced to the B2 Doubles semifinals at the 2019 ITA Southeast Regional and Scartz and Shenton were runner-up at No. 3 Doubles at the MAC Individual Championship.

Senior Chris Maderitz (York, PA/Central York) was a First Team All-MAC Freedom selection last season and a Second-Team selection as a sophomore. Scartz was named to All-MAC Freedom Second Team last season.

Juniors Matt Angara (Stewartsville, NJ/Phillipsburg) and Colin Greenman (Glen Gardner, NJ/Voorhees) along with sophomore Connor Murphy (Denver, PA/Cocalico) and freshman Jolen Nortey (East Stroudsburg, PA/Evergreen) round out the Colonels roster.

"It is incredibly impressive to see the work the players put in during the off season," Terranova remarked. "This specific group does not have a lot of experience and we need to cultivate our court confidence. A step towards that is understanding things are challenging and the time it takes to improve is longer than anticipated. We need to continue to have an open mind, work hard, and have critical self-reflection."

The Colonels will begin play on Friday at Washington College (Md.) before heading to Hilton Head Island, S.C. for five matches during their Spring Break Trip between March 2nd and March 5th against Roanoke College, St. John Fischer College, Drew University, Eastern Nazarene College, and Bridgewater College.

Once Wilkes returns to the northeast their schedule remains challenging both out of conference and in MAC Freedom play. The Colonels will face No. 6 Wesleyan College on the road on Saturday, March 21 and close the regular season on Sunday, April 19 at No. 32 The College of New Jersey. Tough non-conference contests with Muhlenberg College, Yeshiva University, Haverford College, and Division I Villanova make up the remainder of the non-league slate.

MAC Freedom play begins for Wilkes on Saturday, March 28 at Stevens and the seven-match schedule concludes at the Ralston Athletic Complex on Saturday, April 18 against DeSales University.

"I could not more excited about No. 31 in country Stevens being welcomed into the conference," Terranova said. "It is an amazing opportunity to have a team with a national ranking to help improve everything for us. We are looking towards walking into that match and putting out best foot forward."