NYIT Men’s Tennis Tops ECC Preseason Poll

February 4, 2015 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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After winning their second straight East Coast Conference Championship (ECC) in 2014, the New York Institute of Technology men's tennis team begins the 2015 season as the favorite to capture the conference title in a vote by the league coaches. NYIT's Nicolas Auruccio (Buenos Aires, Argentina) has been selected as the Preseason Player of the Year for the second straight season. 

NYIT was a near unanimous pick for the top spot, receiving six out of seven first place votes for 48 points. University of the District of Columbia finished second in the poll with 36 points. The top three is rounded out by 2014 ECC runner-up and NCAA Tournament participant, Queens College, and Roberts Wesleyan College, who finished tied with 29 points. Dowling received the final first place vote. 

In 2014, NYIT cruised to their second consecutive conference crown with a perfect 6-0 record in league play, followed by sweeping St. Thomas Aquinas and Queens in the ECC Championship. This earned the Bears their third straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament where they advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the second consecutive year. NYIT is also currently ranked No. 15 in the country and No. 2 in the East Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).

Auruccio, who also earned the Preseason Player of the Year award before the 2014 campaign, impressed in his first season in an NYIT uniform. He finished the season with a 17-6 singles record and a 26-5 mark in doubles play to earn ECC All-Conference First Team recognition. Auruccio played well during the 2014  fall season as well, as he advanced to the semifinals of the ITA East Region "A" Singles Championship. In addition, the senior from Argentine is currently ranked as the number 49 singles player in all of Division II and number five in the East Region.

2015 East Coast Conference Preseason Poll
1. NYIT
2. District of Columbia 
3. Queens (tied)
3. Roberts Wesleyan (tied)
5. St. Thomas Aquinas
6. Daemen
7. Dowling


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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