Lansing Sun

Michigan State University's men's tennis team has been ranked No. 23 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Men's Tennis Preseason Team Rankings for the second consecutive year. This follows their No. 24 ranking in last season's preseason poll, marking a significant achievement as they had not been in the Top 25 preseason poll since its inception in 1981.

The ITA Top 25 Coaches Poll is determined by votes from the ITA National Ranking Committee, which consists of 13 ITA Region Chairs. Each chair contributes a ballot to the final ranking.

MSU head coach Harry Jadun expressed his satisfaction with the team's recognition: "It's really awesome to see the recognition from the other coaches across the country in ranking us 23rd in the country," he said. Jadun emphasized their goal of becoming one of the premier programs nationally, aiming for Big Ten and National Championships.

In addition to Michigan State, three other Big Ten teams are featured in this year's ITA Preseason Team Rankings: Ohio State at No. 3, UCLA at No. 20, and Michigan at No. 25.

The Spartans' upcoming schedule includes matches against several highly-ranked opponents such as No. 7 Kentucky on January 15, No. 2 TCU on January 26, No. 13 Tennessee on January 31, and No. 6 Arizona on March 12.

Last season was historic for MSU's men's tennis program with a record-breaking performance that included reaching a peak rank of No. 15 and securing a total of 23 wins—the most in program history.

Junior Ozan Baris made history by reaching the NCAA Individual Championship match last fall, becoming the first MSU player to play in a national singles final and advancing to two national semifinals consecutively.

Baris was accompanied by redshirt sophomore Aristotelis Thanos at the NCAA Individual Championships; Thanos reached round two before being defeated by Colton Smith of Arizona.

In individual rankings following fall action, Baris was ranked No.8 while Thanos stood at No.27—making them players to watch this spring along with freshman Matthew Forbes who is ranked as high as No.40 among true freshmen nationwide.

Senior Max Sheldon also features prominently within individual ranks at position number eighty-three alongside notable doubles pairings including freshman Danial Rakhmatullayev paired with sophomore Taym Alazmeh holding rank sixty-sixth place followed closely behind combinations featuring Baris & Thanos plus Forbes & Baris themselves rounding out numbers ninety-four through ninety-nine respectively whilst Sheldon partners up again but this time teaming up alongside Forbes yielding spot one hundred seven overall list placement too!

Adding further depth into squad makeup now joining roster come springtime via December signing comes freshman Vuk Radjenovic eager make impactful contribution towards successful campaign ahead culminating kickoff date Friday seventeenth January inside confines MSU Indoor Tennis Center marquee matchup against seventh-seeded Wildcats tipping off promptly scheduled start five o'clock post meridian local timezone set course exhilarating competition awaits unfold amidst anticipation excitement surrounds forthcoming contests lies store awaiting passionate followers dedicated supporters alike relish opportunity witness firsthand unfold before very eyes thrilling spectacle ensue sure captivate enthrall enthralling audience worldwide tune eagerly anticipated events taking place over coming months ahead!