LANCASTER, Pa. – Three-time defending champion Swarthmore has once again been selected as the favorite to repeat in the 2026 Centennial Conference Men's Tennis Preseason Poll. The Garnet secured all seven possible first-place tallies en route to 49 points and the distinction of conference preseason favorite. 

Haverford, the 2025 CC runner-up, collected the other first-place vote and 43 points to finish second in the poll. Franklin & Marshall was picked to finish third with 37 points, while Washington College was projected as the fourth and final playoff team with 28 points. 

Gettysburg took fifth in the voting with 22 points, followed by Ursinus (18), Dickinson (17) and Muhlenberg 10. 

The spring 2026 season begins this weekend with four Centennial teams competing in non-conference action. All eight teams will begin their campaigns by early March, with most conference matches scheduled for late March through the end of April. The four-team CC postseason tournament will take place May 1 and May 3 with the higher seeds hosting each round. 

2026 Centennial Conference Men's Tennis Preseason Poll

2026 Schedule | 2025 Championship | 2025 All-Centennial Team 

Swarthmore became the third program in Centennial Conference men's tennis history to win three conference titles in a row last spring, blanking Haverford 4-0 in the championship match. The Garnet and Fords both went on to represent the CC in the NCAA Tournament. Swarthmore earned a first round bye and downed North Central 4-0 in round two before falling to eventual national champion Denison, 4-2, in the third round. Making its first NCAA appearance since 1996, Haverford defeated Illinois Tech 4-0 in the opening round and lost to Kenyon 4-0 in round two. 

With two All-Americans and nine of the 20 returning All-Centennial players, it's no surpise why Swarthmore was the unanimous pick to reign supreme once again this spring. Leading the way is senior Michael Melnikov, a three-time All-American in both singles and doubles and the three-time reigning CC Player of the Year. Melnikov has a chance to make CC history this spring, as no player in the conference has ever been named Player of the Year four times. The other two three-time Players of the Year in CC history are Washington College's Jose Lejarraga (2000-01-02) and Arturo Solis (2005-06-07). 

Melnikov currently ranks tied for fourth all-time in the CC in career singles wins (81-17) and 10th in doubles wins (66-22). Doubles partner and fellow senior Utham Koduri is also a returning All-American, having earned national doubles honors along with Melnikov each of the past three seasons. Koduri owns a 60-20 career doubles record, currently good for 12th all-time in the conference. Another Garnet standout with his name already etched in the CC record book is senior Max Lindstrom. A three-time All-CC pick in both singles and doubles, Lindstrom boasts a 55-26 career singles record (28th all-time) and a 50-14 doubles mark (t-30th all-time). 

Already the most accomplished doubles tandem in conference history, Melnikov and Koduri are one of just two doubles pairs in Centennial history to make it to the national title match (2023) and national semifinals (2025) in a career, with the other being Washington College's Robin Sander and Damian Polla in 1994 and 1995. They are already the only doubles team to qualify for the NCAA tournament three times, with the chance to extend that streak to four this spring. 

Twenty All-Centennial players from seven different teams return to the conference this spring. Swarthmore headlines the list with nine returning all-stars, followed by Franklin & Marshall (4) and Haverford (3). Dickinson, Gettysburg, Muhlenberg and Washington College each welcome back one all-conference performer. 

Returning All-Americans (2)

Michael Melnikov, Swarthmore, Sr. (2025 Singles, 2025 Doubles, 2024 Singles, 2024 Doubles, 2023 Singles, 2023 Doubles)
Utham Koduri, Swarthmore, Sr. (2025 Doubles, 2024 Doubles, 2023 Doubles)

Returning All-Centennial (20)

Lucas Bogle, Dickinson, So. (2025 Honorable Mention Singles)

Zac Ashtiani, Franklin & Marshall, Sr. (2025 Second Team Singles, 2025 Second Team Doubles, 2024 Honorable Mention Singles, 2023 Honorable Mention Singles, 2023 Honorable Mention Doubles
Luke Brodsky, Franklin & Marshall, Sr. (2025 First Team Singles, 2025 Second Team Doubles, 2024 First Team Singles, 2023 Honorable Mention Doubles)
Gonzalo Gentou, Franklin & Marshall, Sr. (2025 Second Team Doubles, 2023 Second Team Doubles)
Soren Rudin-Aulenbach, Franklin & Marshall, Jr. (2025 Second Team Doubles)

Adam Contract, Gettysburg, Sr. (2025 Second Team Doubles, 2024 Honorable Mention Singles, 2024 Honorable Mention Doubles)

Marko Arboleda, Haverford, Jr. (2025 First Team Singles, 2025 Honorable Mention Doubles, 2024 First Team Singles, 2024 First Team Doubles)
Owen Kilmer, Haverford, So. (2025 Second Team Singles, 2025 Honorable Mention Doubles)
Niki Lavu, Haverford, Sr. (2025 Second Team Singles)

Owen Dyer, Muhlenberg, Jr. (2025 Second Team Singles)

Michael Melnikov, Swarthmore, Sr. (2025 Player OTY, 2025 First Team Singles, 2024 Player OTY, 2024 First Team Singles, 2024 First Team Doubles, 2023 Player OTY & Rookie OTY, 2023 First Team Singles, 2023 First Team Doubles)
Max Lindstrom, Swarthmore, Sr. (2025 First Team Singles, 2025 Second Team Doubles, 2024 First Team Singles, 2024 Honorable Mention Doubles, 2023 First Team Singles, 2023 Second Team Doubles)
Utham Koduri, Swarthmore, Sr. (2024 First Team Doubles, 2023 First Team Doubles, 2023 Second Team Singles)
Andres Fente, Swarthmore, Sr. (2025 First Team Doubles, 2024 First Team Doubles)
Rishi Verma, Swarthmore, Jr. (2025 Second Team Singles, 2024 Second Team Singles)
Kai Chen, Swarthmore, So. (2025 First Team Doubles, 2025 Honorable Mention Singles)
Winston Zhang, Swarthmore, Jr. (2025 Second Team Doubles)
Aadhi Raja, Swarthmore, Jr. (2024 Honorable Mention Doubles)
Lalith Suresh, Swarthmore, Sr. (2023 Second Team Singles)

Tichi Chialva, Washington College, Jr. (2025 First Team Doubles)