The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (“ITA”) has released today the Division I Men’s Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll for January 7, 2026. As the first Division I Team Ranking of the year, the past seven ITA Preseason No. 1 ranked teams have included, Texas (2025), Virginia (2023, 2024), Florida (2020, 2022), USC (2021), and Wake Forest (2019).
To start the 2026 college tennis season, defending NCAA and ITA Team Indoor National Champions Wake Forest will remain atop of the pack as they look to be the first team since Virginia (2022, 2023) to win back-to-back NCAA National Championships. With players such as Stefan Dostanic, Ioannis Xilas, and Franco Capalbo all departing after last season, the Demon Deacons have reloaded once again bringing in Mees Rottgering (4.26 WTN), Aryan Shah (3.85 WTN), and Kacper Szymkowiak (6.82 WTN) who will all likely make an impact this season.
Earning all 13 first place votes in the Jan. 7 ITA Coaches Poll, Wake Forest sits above Texas (No. 2), TCU (No. 3), Stanford (No. 4), and Virginia (No. 5) who round out the Top Five of the Preseason Poll. All five of these teams were featured in the Top Five of the May 21 ITA Year-End Team Rankings with Texas and TCU swapping places since last May.
The ACC leads all conferences with eight teams featured in the Jan. 7 Preseason Team Rankings, while the SEC and Big Ten follow behind with five teams apiece in the Rankings. San Diego (No. 8) in the highest ranked Non-Power Four program, and is one of two West Coast Conference teams to make an appearance in the Top 25 joining Pepperdine (No. 23) in the Polls.
The ITA Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by the ITA National Ranking Committee. The National Ranking Committee is made up of the 13 ITA Region Chairs, with each chair casting an individual, secret ballot.
ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings
- National Team Rankings
- Top 25 Team Rankings
- January 7, 2026
| Rank | Team (First Place Votes) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Wake Forest (13) |
| 2 | Texas |
| 3 | TCU |
| 4 | Stanford |
| 5 | Virginia |
| 6 | Ohio State |
| 7 | Mississippi State |
| 8 | San Diego |
| 9 | NC State |
| 10 | Columbia |
| 11 | Arizona |
| 12 | UCLA |
| 13 | Texas A&M |
| 14 | UCF |
| 15 | California |
| 16 | Baylor |
| 17 | Duke |
| 18 | South Carolina |
| 19 | USC |
| 20 | Michigan State |
| 21 | Oklahoma |
| 22 | Florida State |
| 23 | Pepperdine |
| 24 | Illinois |
| 25 | Clemson |
Received Votes (Alphabetical): Florida, Georgia, Harvard, Kentucky, Tennessee