SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Yellowjacket men's tennis team have been selected to win their third-straight Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) North Division title, as the circuit released its preseason poll in an announcement Thursday.
The Yellowjackets received 16 total points (including four first-place votes) in the poll of UMAC coaches. Receiving the final first-place vote was Northwestern, sitting in second place with 13 points. Bethany Lutheran came in third with ten points, and Martin Luther and Crown rounded out the five-team division with six and five points, respectively.
The conference will once again partner with the Saint Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC), featuring Greenville, Principia, Webster, and Westminster. Mississippi has been added to the southern division in 2024 for a five-team circuit.
Greenville was selected to win the South Division crown with four first-place votes and 16 total points. Principia received 13 points and one first-place nod. Webster, Mississippi, and Westminster rounded out the division with nine, eight and four points, respectively.
UW-Superior welcomes six newcomers to the program in 2024. The 'Jackets return three key players, including the UMAC Player of the Year
Igor Guetten Chaves (Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil/Colégio Adventista), and All-UMAC selections
Ren Kurachi (Yokohama, Japan/Yokosuka Gakuin) and
Jacob Zacharias (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti).
Guetten Chaves had a remarkable debut season in 2023, securing both player and rookie of the year accolades. He boasted a 14-5 record at No. 1 singles (5-1 UMAC) and a 16-8 doubles record, spearheading the Yellowjackets to their second-straight conference title.
Kurachi, a consistent doubles partner of Guetten Chaves, also had a stellar freshman season. His 15-7 record in singles play (14-4 at No. 2 and No. 3) coupled with a doubles record of 15-9 helped propel the 'Jackets to a strong campaign. At the ITA Midwest Regional, Kurachi teamed up with now-assistant coach
Andre Luiz de Melo Guedes (Brasilia, Brazil/Centro de Ensino Médio Paulo Freire) and advanced further than any Yellowjacket team in the event's history. Zacharias also returns for UWS, as his victory back in 2022 secured the first UMAC championship in program history. He finished 2023 with a singles record of 15-7 and a doubles mark of 19-5.
The Yellowjackets continue their season Saturday against Wartburg. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. inside Lifetime Tennis in Bloomington, Minn.
