HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's tennis team has been selected second in the annual preseason Centennial Conference Men's Tennis Poll, the league office announced Friday morning. Haverford received one first-place vote and 43 total points in the overall balloting.
The Fords enter 2026 following a banner 2025 campaign, finishing with a 16-6 record to match the program's all-time high for wins. Haverford made its long-awaited return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly 30 years, earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, and advanced to the Centennial Conference championship match — cementing the 2025 squad as one of the most accomplished in program history.
Head Coach Eric Spangler enters his fifth season at the helm looking to guide the Fords back to the NCAA Tournament while extending the program's streak to 18 consecutive Centennial Conference Tournament appearances.
Returning to the No. 1 singles spot for his junior season, Marko Arboleda will be a player to watch in 2026. Arboleda, who ranked as high as No. 14 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Atlantic South Region last season, finished his sophomore campaign with a 9-7 dual-match record, including a 2-3 mark in Centennial Conference play at the top singles flight.
The 2024 Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year put together a four-match winning streak from March 10–28, defeating opponents from Hope International, UC Santa Cruz, No. 20 Redlands, and No. 39 Stevens. One of the highlights of the season came during Haverford's upset victory over No. 20 Redlands on March 12, when Arboleda defeated Dominic Anderson — then ranked No. 49 nationally — at No. 1 singles. On April 12, he added another ranked win by topping Vincent Truong of No. 21 Christopher Newport, who was ranked No. 14 in the region at the time.
Arboleda capped the season by earning All-Centennial Conference First Team honors in singles and honorable mention recognition in doubles alongside teammate Owen Kilmer.
Defending champion Swarthmore was tabbed first with 49 points and seven first-place votes. Haverford followed in second with 43 points and one first-place vote, while Franklin & Marshall came in third with 37 points. Washington College was selected fourth with 28 points, followed by Gettysburg in fifth with 22 points. Ursinus claimed sixth with 18 points, Dickinson slotted seventh with 17 points, and Muhlenberg rounded out the poll with 10 points.
Men's Tennis opens the 2026 season on Saturday, February 14, against UC Santa Cruz at 3:00 p.m. inside the UNLTD Tennis Academy in Media, Pa.
