SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) unveiled its men's tennis preseason poll in a release Thursday, and the Yellowjackets were favored to win their third championship in program history.
 
The 'Jackets garnered 15 points and three first-place votes in the poll of conference coaches. Receiving the other two first-place votes was Northwestern, coming in second place with 14 points. Third place saw Martin Luther with ten points, while Crown (six) and Bethany Lutheran (five) rounded out the north division in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
 
UWS welcomes four newcomers to the program, while returning a trio of All-UMAC honorees in Igor Guetten Chaves (Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil/Colégio Adventista), Sharan Kanugovi (Bangalore, Karnataka/New Baldwin International School) and Yash Chhabra (Jaipur, Rajasthan/Sanskar School).
 
Guetten Chaves emerged onto the collegiate scene in 2022-23, coming away with the league's player of the year honors. He followed up his freshman year with another strong sophomore campaign, sitting with a 10-7 singles record and a doubles mark of 11-11 on his way to an All-UMAC Second Team citation.
 
Kanugovi led the Yellowjackets in singles play, boasting a 19-7 record while earning victories in his first eight collegiate matches. Doubles action saw him land 14-7, and when he partnered with former Yellowjacket Davide Pelletti (Prado, Brazil/), he logged 12 victories in the Nos. 1 and 2 slots. For his efforts, he was honored with an All-UMAC Second Team slot.
 
Chhabra's debut season ended with a 10-10 mark in singles action, while adding six victories on the doubles side. He emerged victorious in all singles and doubles matches against UMAC competitors, and also gained postseason recognition on the all-second team.
 
The Yellowjackets are back in action Saturday, taking on Luther and Macalester. Action against the Norse is set to begin at 12:30 p.m. at the Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis.