Mansfield, Mass. - The Adelphi University men's tennis team is on the rise, and the seven NE10 head coaches have pegged the Panthers for a third-place finish in the 2023 season, according to Friday's NE10 preseason rankings.

The last time the Panthers were ranked this high came in 2017, following a year in which the Brown and Gold made their most recent appearance in the NE10 Championship final.

Adelphi received a first-place vote and only trailed fellow contenders Le Moyne (four first-place votes) and Southern New Hampshire (two first-place votes) for the top two spots.

Sophomore sensation Marko Jovanovic enjoyed a dominant first season that twice landed him on the NE10 All-Conference Third Team. His team-leading 14-5 singles record will be counted upon once again to headline the Adelphi lineup.

In doubles, the NE10 All-Conference pairing of Jovanovic and Gabriel Balestero are back in the saddle at the top flight, and the exceptional team of Thomas Horsley and Thiago Negrao will continue to occupy the No. 3 slot.

While Horsley and Negrao only played in three conference matches together, the two first-year players were Rebecca Fakas' leading doubles combination with a 9-3 overall record -- which included a 6-2 mark at the No. 3 flight.

The opening serve on the 2023 Adelphi men's tennis season gets underway on Feb. 11 with two Boston-area matches. A 2 p.m. match at MIT will be followed by a 6 p.m. tilt at Boston University.

2023 NE10 Men's Tennis Preseason Poll
1. Le Moyne (Four First-Place Votes) - 34 Points
2. SNHU (Two First-Place Votes) - 31 Points
3. Adelphi (One First-Place Vote) - 28 Points
4. Saint Michael's - 17 Points
5. Franklin Pierce - 16 Points
6. Bentley - 14 Points
7. Assumption - 7 Points