COLLEGE STATION - The No. 5 Texas A&M men's tennis team was picked third in the 2016 SEC Coaches' Poll announced Wednesday morning by the league office, the league's coaches pegged No. 7 Georgia as the conference champion.
Â
The 2016 Aggies return all but two seniors off the 2015 SEC regular season and tournament championship team (24-5, 11-2 SEC), including former All-Americans Jackson Withrow, Shane Vinsant and Harrison Adams. The Aggies feature No. 5 Arthur Rinderknech and No. 29 Vinsant in singles; the duo are ranked No. 12 in the initial doubles poll. Sophomore Jordi Arconada and junior Max Lunkin earned their first doubles ranking of their collegiate career, beginning the spring at No. 29.
Â
Back-to-back SEC Coach of the Year, Steve Denton, also welcomes a group of heralded freshman to the lineup; Aleksandre Bakshi, Sam Giammalva, Henry Gordon, Oscar Janglin and Kevin Lam are looking to make an impact in their first year at A&M.
Â
The Georgia Bulldogs were picked as the overall champion. Last season, the Bulldogs went 24-5, 11-1 in the SEC, sharing the regular season title with Texas A&M and falling to the Aggies in the SEC Tournament Championship match at the Mitchell Tennis Center. The preseason poll is voted on by the men's tennis head coach at each institution and is based on a 13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 vote.Â
Texas A&M opens the spring dual season with a pair of matches Sunday at the Mitchell Tennis Center, the Aggies take on UTSA at noon followed by a 4 p.m. matchup against Lamar.
Â
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M men's tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M men's tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieMTEN or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieMensTennis.
Â
Â
The 2016 Aggies return all but two seniors off the 2015 SEC regular season and tournament championship team (24-5, 11-2 SEC), including former All-Americans Jackson Withrow, Shane Vinsant and Harrison Adams. The Aggies feature No. 5 Arthur Rinderknech and No. 29 Vinsant in singles; the duo are ranked No. 12 in the initial doubles poll. Sophomore Jordi Arconada and junior Max Lunkin earned their first doubles ranking of their collegiate career, beginning the spring at No. 29.
Â
Back-to-back SEC Coach of the Year, Steve Denton, also welcomes a group of heralded freshman to the lineup; Aleksandre Bakshi, Sam Giammalva, Henry Gordon, Oscar Janglin and Kevin Lam are looking to make an impact in their first year at A&M.
Â
The Georgia Bulldogs were picked as the overall champion. Last season, the Bulldogs went 24-5, 11-1 in the SEC, sharing the regular season title with Texas A&M and falling to the Aggies in the SEC Tournament Championship match at the Mitchell Tennis Center. The preseason poll is voted on by the men's tennis head coach at each institution and is based on a 13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 vote.Â
Texas A&M opens the spring dual season with a pair of matches Sunday at the Mitchell Tennis Center, the Aggies take on UTSA at noon followed by a 4 p.m. matchup against Lamar.
Â
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M men's tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M men's tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieMTEN or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieMensTennis.
Â
| 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 |