LANCASTER, Pa. – Fourteen-time defending champion Johns Hopkins has been chosen as the favorite to repeat in the 2022 Centennial Conference Men's Tennis Preseason Poll. The Blue Jays collected seven first-place votes and 63 points to earn top billing in a vote among CC head coaches. 

Swarthmore, which has finished second in the CC each of the last seven seasons in which its competed, finished second in the voting with 58 points and the two remaining first-place tallies. Haverford (49), Franklin & Marshall (38), and Washington College (36) were also projected playoff teams in third through fifth, respectively. 

Ursinus was selected sixth with 30 points, followed by Dickinson (20), Gettysburg (19), and Muhlenberg (11). 

Three CC teams begin the 2022 season this weekend, with most squads opening play in late February or early March. The majority of conference play is set for late March through the end of April. The five-team CC Tournament is set for May 4-7-8. 

2022 Schedule | 2021 Results | 2021 All-Centennial Team 

In the 28-year history of Centennial Conference men's tennis, only two teams have hoisted the championship trophy - Washington College and Johns Hopkins. Beginning in 1994, Washington College claimed 11-straight CC titles from 1994-2004, before JHU broke the Shoremen's winning streak with its first crown in 2005. The Shoremen reclaimed the title in 2006, but the Blue Jays have remained on top of the CC ever since with 14 consecutive championships dating back to 2007. 

JHU continued its CC winning streak in 2021, capturing the regular season title with a perfect 7-0 conference record. No CC tournament was held due to a shortened season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, so the Blue Jays earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament based on their regular season crown. 

At NCAA's, the Blue Jays became just the fourth team in Centennial history - and first since 1997 - to advance to the national semifinals. After securing a first round bye, Hopkins opened the tournament with a 5-0 win over Farmingdale State, before topping N.C. Wesleyan 5-3 in round three. In the quarterfinals, the Blue Jays registered an improbable comeback, rallying from a 4-0 deficit to defeat Williams, 5-4, in dramatic fashion. JHU then fell to eventual national champion Emory 5-1 in the semis. 

Prior to JHU's NCAA semifinal run in 2021, Washington College was the only CC team to advance to the national semifinal round. The Shoremen won the national title in 1994 and 1997 and lost in the title match in 1995. 

In the NCAA singles championship, JHU's Vishnu Joshi became the 11th player in Centennial history to reach the quarterfinal round, and the first since 2007. Joshi earned his third career All-America singles honor in the process. 

A number of talented performers return to Centennial courts this spring, as 17 players are back who have received All-CC laurels throughout their careers. Hopkins leads with the way with eight returning all-conference players, followed by F&M (3), Gettysburg (2), and Haverford, Swarthmore, Ursinus and Washington College each with one apiece. 

Joshi headlines the list of returners as a three-time All-American and the reigning CC Player of the Year. Thomas Yu, the 2021 Rookie of the Year, and twin brother James Yu are also back for the Blue Jays, as are All-CC performers Andrew Tran, Brian Wang, Daniel Ardila, Rohan Reddy, and Eric Burrer. Wang is a two-time All-CC pick. 

The F&M trio of Justin Pace, Adrian Charchalis and Tristan Steffe all return for the Diplomats after earning all-conference recognition last spring. Gettysburg's Alex Kagan and Michael Zayneh both earned spots on the All-CC team as freshmen in 2021. 

Other All-CC returners include Washingon College's Landon Strober, Ursinus' Lars Jespersen, Haverford's George Jiang, and Swarthmore's Noah Criss. 

2022 Centennial Conference Men's Tennis Preseason Poll