Sparkill, N.Y. - On Monday, the East Coast Conference announced the 2024 Men's Tennis Preseason Poll and the St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Tennis team earned 14 points and two first-place votes to finish tied atop the standings in the league's annual coaches poll.

In 2022-2023, the Spartans continued to build on excellence as STAC went 17-3 overall and 5-1 within the ECC. The squad reached the finals of the East Coast Conference Championship Tournament for a fourth straight season and earned a spot in the NCAA Division II East Regional in back-to-back years.

As the maroon and gold return to the court for the spring season, seven familiar faces from last year's roster return with the same championship aspirations. 2023 ITA East Region and ECC Rookie of the Year Ondrej Sramek joins All-Conference selection Tobias Fuerschuss, along with Alberto Espinosa Navarro, Ivan Laiz, Lennart Lehmann, Don Vinz Lominoque and Ludovico Truffelli for another campaign in Sparkill.

Newcomers Seth Newman (Cambridge, England), Miguel Angel Real Jimenez (Madrid, Spain), Henry Ronnberg (Ahus, Sweden) and Nathan Yacar (Argentina) round out a roster of seasoned veterans and hungry, young talent.

2023 ECC Coach of the Year Dan Rockhill returns for his second season (third overall) as Head Coach to help guide the Spartans back to ECC and NCAA Tournament appearances and ultimately championship titles. ITA Division II National and East Regional Assistant Coach of the Year, Associate Head Coach Neil Tarangioli and Assistant Coach Mike Tasaro also return as Rockhill's right-hand men. New Assistants Henry Masters and Maximilian Kendler round out the staff that will help develop and mentor the 2023-2024 Spartans. Masters and Kendler join the coaching circuit after playing for Rockhill and Tarangioli at Concordia College (NY) and STAC respectively.

St. Thomas Aquinas College opens its new season on Saturday, February 3 against Fairleigh Dickinson University, with first serve scheduled for 6:45 p.m. at Match Point Tennis Club in Orangeburg, N.Y.