Eight PBC Men’s Tennis Teams Ranked in Top 25

SKILLMAN, NJ – The Peach Belt Conference will begin the 2010-11 men’s tennis season as the dominant conference in the nation as nearly 1/3 of all teams ranked in the preseason Top 25 belong to the league as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association released its poll.  Eight PBC teams are in the top 25 with Armstrong Atlantic State leading the way at #3.  Columbus State will begin the year ninth while Georgia College is 12^th, Francis Marion 14^th, Lander 16^th, Flagler 17^th, Augusta State 19^th and USC Aiken 25^th.  50 teams were ranked in the preseason poll.

The Pirates are ranked No. 3 in the team rankings, behind defending national champion Barry and Valdosta State. Ouachita Baptist is ranked No. 4 and Lynn is No. 5.

Individually, the Pirates claim the top spot in the doubles rankings as seniors Rafael Array and Mikk Irdoja are ranked No. 1 after claiming the ITA's "Super Bowl" of Small College Tennis men's doubles title and advancing to the quarterfinals of the ITA National Indoor Championships in New York. The doubles duo of junior Eudaldo Bonet and sophomore Daniel Regan are ranked No. 8 nationally, while the duo of sophomore Matus Mydla and freshman Pedro Scocuglia are ranked No. 20.

In singles, Bonet is ranked No. 2, while Irdoja is ranked No. 4. Array is ranked No. 13, Regan is No. 21 and Mydla is ranked No. 30, giving the Pirates five singles players ranked in the top 30 nationally.

In all, 12 PBC singles players are ranked in the top 50.  Francis Marion’s Oshada Wijemanne is #3 while Georgia College’s Jerome LeBorgne is 16^th.  Lander’s Paul-Henri Arrigoni is ranked 19^th with USC Aiken’s Gustavo Andrade 38^th, Columbus State’s Christoph Noblet 52^nd and Flagler’s Harry Snoxell 55^th.

The Peach Belt is even more dominant in the doubles team ranks with nine in the top 22.  Joining the AASU trio are the Flagler team of David Cotrone and Gino Ramirez are ranked 10^th.  Columbus State has two doubles teams ranked with Noblet and Gordan Divljak in 12^th and Filip Cojbasic and Martin Shishkov 22^nd.  Augusta State’s Henrique Boturao and Bernando Fernandes are ranked 13^th nationally with USC Aiken’s Andrade and Bruno Orlandini 14^th and Lander’s Arrigoni and Henrik Willers 15^th.

The Peach Belt also dominates the southeast region rankings with the top seven teams, 16 of the top 20 singles players and the top nine doubles teams.

To see the complete poll, click here.