Recruiting Feature
2010 Top NCAA Division III Men's Classes
by TennisRecruiting.net, 11 June 2010
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2010 marks the fifth year The Tennis Recruiting Network has put out recruiting class rankings. But 2010 is unique - this is the first year that we are putting out rankings of NCAA Division III recruiting classes.
TennisRecruiting.net traditionally puts out two sets of rankings for top recruiting classes: overall rankings and mid-major rankings. Each year in late May and early June, we have published these men's and women's rankings to provide additional recognition for graduating high school players - as well as for college tennis coaches and programs.
In recent years, there have been an increasing number of requests for rankings of NCAA Division III recruiting classes. D-III tennis is strong - particularly in the upper echelon - and many D-III programs have made our mid-major rankings over the years. But D-III colleges and players wanted their own lists.
The wait is over. This year, we kick off our inaugural Division III recruiting class rankings. We present the men's class rankings today - and Monday, we return with the women.
Top 25 NCAA Division III Men's Recruiting Classes (through May 29)
TennisRecruiting.net is excited to present the Top 25 NCAA Division III Men's Recruiting Classes for 2010. This list is based on commitments reported on or before May 29, 2010.
We enlisted the help of a number of NCAA Division III enthusiasts and insiders to aid in the rankings. While we do not publish a list of our helpers, we appreciate their assistance.
And now, feast your eyes on the Top 25...
Also Receiving Consideration
A team of D-III insiders - including the Division III Blogger - reviewed the resumes of more than 50 D-III recruiting classes in coming up with these rankings. Other recruiting classes put forward by the insiders that almost made our list are (alphabetically) as follows: Allegheny, Brandeis, Luther, Oglethorpe, Oneonta, Pacific (OR) Wabash, and Wittenberg.
Familiar Faces In last week's mid-major rankings, we spent some time discussing the strength of teams from the New England Small College Athletic Conference. NESCAC teams regularly make themselves at home near the top of D-III tennis. This year, the NCAA team championship featured two NESCAC programs in the finals - with the Middlebury Panthers taking the title match from Amherst by a score of 5-1.
Those two programs figure to have some tough matches in the future. Amherst checks in at #1 in our rankings, just ahead of Middlebury. Joey Fritz, Christopher Dale, Justin Reindel, and Eli Mlaver give the Lord Jeffs strength and depth, including players who should contribute right away.
Conference Rundown While the NESCAC leads the way with six of the Top 25 programs, two other conferences - the University Athletic Association and Centennial Conference are hot on their heels with four programs each. The UAA actually has more Top 10 programs than any other conference with Chicago (No. 3), Emory (4), and Wash U (7).
The only other conference with more than one program in the rankings is California's SCIAC, with three programs.
State by State Sixteen (16) states are represented in these rankings. Quick, which state has more programs in the rankings than any other? If you guessed the Bay State, you would be right.
Four programs from our rankings - all in the Top 15 - call Massachusetts home: Amherst (No. 1), MIT (9), Tufts (11), and Williams (14).
Other states with multiple teams in the rankings include California (3 programs), Pennsylvania (3), Ohio (2), and Maine (2).
Coming Monday... the Women On Monday, we conclude our look at 2010 recruiting classes with our Division III women's lists.
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