Men's Tennis | 2/25/2026 11:00:00 AM

OXFORD, Ohio - The Oakland City Mighty Oaks remain the team to beat in the River States Conference in men's tennis, as Oakland City finished on top of the 2026 Preseason Coaches' Poll. The poll, announced Wednesday by the River States Conference office, saw each of the conference's six head coaches rank the other member schools in order of predicted finish.

Oakland City had won four straight River States Conference championships, and as such were the top pick by all five of the other teams in the league. The Mighty Oaks, who went undefeated in conference play and swept through the conference tournament to earn another national tournament berth, are currently ranked 13th in the nation in the NAIA Coaches' Poll, up from 15th in the preseason poll.

The other first place vote in the coaches poll went to the Eagles of Midway University. The Eagles were the number two team in the conference last season, logging a 4-1 record in conference play and winning their semifinal match in the conference tournament, defeating Brescia by a 4-2 score.

The aforementioned Brescia Bearcats checked in third in the poll, earning 16 points. Indiana University East settled into fourth place, with Indiana University Southeast fifth. The Bears of Shawnee State University rounded out the poll in sixth.

Conference play in tennis will continue into the month of April, with the conference championships scheduled for April 23-25. The championships will again be held in Evansville, Indiana, at the Wesselman Tennis Center.

2026 RSC PRESEASON MEN's TENNIS COACHES POLL
1. Oakland City (25 points, 5 first place votes)
2. Midway (21 points, 1 first place votes)
3. Brescia (16 points)
4. IU East (12 points)
5. IU Southeast (11 points)
6. Shawnee State (5 points)