WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College men's tennis team will be looking to build off their 8-11 season last year. The Presidents will be looking to make their third straight Presidents' Athletic Conference playoff appearance this year.
Recapping the 2024-25 Campaign: The Presidents had a challenging fall schedule. They picked up a win against Mount Aloysius and had a strong showing at the Franciscan Fall Invitational where six Presidents picked up singles wins. Two doubles teams picked up wins as well.
The Presidents started off the spring season with a 2-2 performance in Hilton Head, S.C, including a win over Salve Regina. The trip led to a spark for the Presidents, as the team won their first five matches back from the trip. This included Presidents' Athletic Conference wins over Geneva, Westminster, Waynesburg, and Thiel.
The Presidents had a tough closing stretch to the year but did enough to secure a postseason spot as the number five seed in the PAC Championships. The Presidents closed out the 2024-25 campaign in the Quarterfinals.
"I felt like the team had more fire last year compared to the previous year. We fought harder last year in every single match. When you work as hard as they did and still fall just short of advancing in the PAC tournament, I think that can be difficult. They want to win as much as I do," stated Head Coach
Matt Lynch. "They continue to improve so this is the year I want to see us advance in the PAC tournament. They have the ability to do it so they need to believe that they can and keep training accordingly to achieve that goal."
| 2026 PAC Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| School (first-place votes) |
Points |
2024-25 Records |
| 1. Allegheny (8) |
64 |
21-7, 8-0 PAC |
| 2. Grove City (1) |
56 |
11-5, 7-1 PAC |
| 3. Saint Vincent |
46 |
16-5, 5-3 PAC |
| 4. Franciscan |
44 |
10-7, 6-2 PAC |
| 5. W&J |
36 |
8-11, 4-4 PAC |
| 6. Westminster |
28 |
5-8, 3-5 PAC |
| 7. Geneva |
27 |
4-10, 2-6 PAC |
| 8. Waynesburg |
15 |
2-9, 1-7 PAC |
| 9. Thiel |
8 |
0-12, 0-8 PAC
|
Key Returners: The Presidents return their lineup from the 2024-25 season. The team will provide strong leadership throughout the lineup.
"It means a lot to have a group that knows the expectations and also acts on them as well in practice and in matches," replied Lynch. "I am heading into my 3rd season with this team and it feels like we are all 100% on the same page with everything that is expected of them and vice versa."
Senior captain
Jackson Akers (Logan, W. Va./Logan) will provide strong leadership from the top of the lineup. The two-time All-PAC Honorable Mention split his time between the No. 1 and No. 2 singles last season. He went 4-4 overall in PAC play in singles. Akers also played the whole played mostly at the number one doubles position last season. Junior
Nick Kubik (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) also played No. 1 doubles with Akers. Additionally, the tandem had reps at the No. 1 singles position.
Senior captain
Alex Duing (South Park, Pa./South Park) played much of his time at No. 4 singles. Additionally, Duing took advantage of being called up to the No. 3 spot and went 3-1 at the position. Duing is versatile at doubles, having played all three positions in the doubles' lineup.
Senior captain
Nate Clarke (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) adds depth to the Presidents lineup. At the No. 4 singles spot, Clarke went 2-2 on the season. Clarke was also 1-1 at the No. 5 singles position. Alongside Duing, the tandem went 4-3 last season at No. 2 doubles.
"It helps in every way to have experienced captains," said Lynch. "Their maturity on court has grown over the years and they continue to set good examples."
Sophomore
Aarav Surapaneni (Coraopolis, Pa./Moon Area) finished the season with a 6-5 record during his rookie campaign. Surapaneni played most of the 2025 season at the No. 6 spot in singles and will looking to build off his first year with the Presidents. In doubles, Surapaneni went 4-2 at the No. 3 spot with Akers and senior
Connor Simms (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) as his partners.
"Aarav is a very capable player, and I am looking forward to seeing what he can do for us this year," replied Lynch.
Simms and senior
Mitch Kenney (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) have developed strong leadership roles to help round out the balanced Presidents' lineup. Both guys have the ability to fill in the lineup and accept the call when needed. In singles play, Simms put together a 3-3 record at the No. 5 spot last season. Kenney successfully filled in for a 3-0 record at the No. 6 position.
"Simms is an amazing player and athlete. Incredible leader as well. Mitch works hard and even though he does not see as much playing time as the others when he has had the opportunity to start, he always performs very well," stated Lynch. "I trust both of them to play well for us when they are in the lineup."
Promising Newcomers: The Presidents add two newcomers for the 2025-26 campaign:
Colby Peters (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Township)
Tyler Urbanic (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township)
"I want them to adapt to the college level and my coaching style," said Lynch. "I want them to learn from the more experienced players so that we can continue to maintain a winning attitude/culture at all times."
About the Coaching Staff: Head Coach
Matt Lynch is in his first full season in charge of the W&J men's and women's tennis teams. Lynch coached the Presidents to an 8-11 overall record (4-4 PAC) and a PAC Tournament berth for the second-straight season. During the season, W&J got off to its best start in conference play since the 2019 season with four-straight victories against conference foes. Both programs combined for seven All-PAC selections, four on the women's team and three on the men's team.
Lynch brings well-rounded coaching experiences at the college and instructional levels. Since the summer of 2015, Lynch has worked as a tennis instructor at Glen Creek Tennis Club in South Park. At Glen Creek, he was responsible for managing junior and adult clinics and conducting private lessons and one-on-one individualized instruction for all ages."
Recent graduate
Abhinav Yarramaneni returns to the Presidents in his first season as the Volunteer Assistant Coach. As a player, Yarramaneni was selected to the All-PAC second team in 2022, a two-time All-PAC Honorable Mention or both singles and doubles in 2024 and 2025, along with being selected for the PAC All-Tournament team in those same two seasons.
"Abhinav's help is valuable to our team this year. He played under me for two years and in that time, I was able to trust him as a player to fight through every match he played," stated Lynch. "He is a competitor and he brings that same energy to his role as an assistant coach."
Looking Ahead to the 2025-26 Campaign: W&J started off the year with a quick three match fall slate. For the spring season, the Presidents have three nonconference opponents in addition to Presidents' Athletic Conference play.
W&J starts the spring season with their annual spring break trip to South Carolina. The trip includes matches against Ohio Wesleyan (Mar. 10), Rhodes (Mar. 11) and Penn State Behrend (Mar. 12).
The Presidents continue their spring slate with a three-match road trip leading up to the home opener and senior recognition day on Friday (Mar. 27) against Westminster. The Presidents follow that up with a home event at the Janet Swanson Tennis Center with a match Thiel (Apr. 1).
To close out the fast-paced season, the Presidents' remaining schedule includes home matches against Grove City (Apr. 9), and Allegheny (Apr. 18) mixed in with road matches against Franciscan (Apr. 8), Pitt-Greensburg (Apr. 10), and Saint Vincent (Apr. 13).
"We obviously set out to win every match we play. One huge goal would be to get a win against a team seeded higher than us," stated Lynch. "So far this has been a struggle for us. We have gotten close but that is one of our biggest goals."
Final Thoughts from Lynch: "I want to make the most of this season especially for the seniors that I have enjoyed coaching the past 2 ½ years. I am looking forward to helping these guys continue to get better and hopefully get some big wins. Go Presidents!"
