UGA MEN’S TENNIS: Bulldogs picked to win the SEC in 2016. Georgia is ranked seventh in the Oracle ITA preseason rankings and has been selected as the favorite to win the 2016 Southeastern Conference title by the league’s head coaches which was announced by the conference office on Wednesday.
Georgia was selected as the overall champion in the coaches’ preseason poll, followed by Florida, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, LSU, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky and Auburn.
The Bulldogs finished last season with a 24-5 overall record, including an 11-1 mark in SEC play for their third-straight regular season crown. Georgia has claimed the league regular season championship 29 times with nine conference tournament titles for a total of 38 league championships in program history.
The Bulldogs return three seniors as well as the 2015 SEC Freshman of the Year in Wayne Montgomery, who is ranked No. 20 in the Oracle ITA preseason singles rankings. Joining Montgomery is senior Austin Smith , who is ranked No. 28, Paul Oosterbaan (ranked No. 40), Nick Wood (ranked No. 88) and Walker Duncan (ranked No. 105). Smith, along with teammate Ben Wagland are ranked No. 10 in doubles, while Montgomery and Emil Reinberg are ranked 45th.
Also returning is sophomore and Atlanta native Andy Martinez, who will begin his second season with the Bulldogs. Georgia also added two January enrollees in freshmen Jan Zielinski and Alex Phillips.
The Bulldogs begin the indoor portion of the schedule this weekend at the MLK Invitational in Atlanta, before hosting the ITA Kickoff Weekend on Jan. 23-24.
2016 SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Team (Points)
1. Georgia (164)
2. Florida (146)
3. Texas A&M (140)
4. Ole Miss (107)
5. LSU (85)
6. Arkansas (80)
7. Mississippi State (79)
8. Vanderbilt (78)
9. Alabama (77)
10. Tennessee (73)
11. South Carolina (71)
12. Kentucky (47)
13. Auburn (42)
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