MELBOURNE, Fla. – Barry University ranks No. 1 in the 2020 Sunshine State Conference Preseason Men's Tennis Coaches’ Poll. Winners of seven of the last eight SSC tournaments, the Buccaneers, received 49 total points and seven first-place votes in this year's ranking.
Lynn University bests Saint Leo University for second place in this year's poll, 41 to 38 points, respectively, The Fighting Knights also picked up the remaining first-place vote. Rollins College's 28 points place them in fourth place, just two points ahead of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Rounding out the preseason conference ranking are Palm Beach Atlantic University (18 points), Florida Southern College (17 points), and Eckerd College (7 points).
Barry finished the regular season 8-0 in SSC play, winning its fourth regular-season title in six years. The Buccaneers went on to defeat Lynn in the SSC tournament finale, capturing its 15th SSC postseason title and earning an automatic bid into the NCAA postseason. The Buccaneers were joined in regional play by Lynn, Rollins, and Saint Leo. Barry, however, was the sole SSC school to emerge from regional play and earn a spot at the NCAA finals site. Barry bested Southern Arkansas University, the University of West Florida, and the University of Hawaii - Hilo to earn a rematch against Columbus State University in the national championship. The Buccaneers quickly found themselves down 3-0 to the Cougars but fought back to win the program's fourth national title.
Barry, Lynn, and Rollins account for all nine of the SSC's men's tennis national championships. Including last year, the Buccaneers have won the most recent titles (2010, 2013, 2015, & 2019), while the Fighting Knights won in 2007. The remaining four championships belong to the Tars, who last won the title in 2001.
Florida Southern will host the 2020 SSC men's and women's tennis championships April 17th - 19th at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Winners of each tournament will receive automatic qualification to the 2020 NCAA Division II Championships. The first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament will be played at non-predetermined sites between May 2nd and May 5th. Finals for both men and women will take place May 13th through May 16th at the Lindenwood/Dwight Davis Memorial Tennis Center in St. Charles, Missouri. The NCAA will announce championship selections and seeding on April 28th, here.
Below are the full results of the 2020 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their teams (points: 7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).
| 2020 SSC Men’s Tennis Preseason Coaches Poll |
| Rank |
School (FPV) |
Total Points |
| 1 |
Barry |
49 |
| 2 |
Lynn |
41 |
| 3 |
Saint Leo |
38 |
| 4 |
Rollins |
28 |
| 5 |
Embry-Riddle |
26 |
| 6 |
Palm Beach Atlantic |
18 |
| 7 |
Florida Southern |
17 |
| 8 |
Eckerd |
7 |
-
Previous SSC Men’s Tennis Polls
-
| Year |
Predicted Winner
(Actual Finish) |
Regular Season Champ
(Preseason Prediction) |
Tournament Champ
(Preseason Prediction) |
| 2019 |
Barry (1st) |
Barry (1st) |
Barry (1st) |
| 2018 |
Barry (2nd) |
Saint Leo (3rd) |
Barry (1st) |
| 2017 |
Barry (1st) |
Barry (1st) |
Barry (1st) |
| 2016 |
Barry (2nd) |
Saint Leo (2nd) |
Saint Leo (2nd) |
| 2015 |
Barry (1st) |
Barry (1st) |
Barry (1st) |
| 2014 |
Barry (1st) |
Barry (1st) |
Barry (1st) |