Complete Release

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The defending Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champion Western New Mexico University tennis teams we look to repeat as conference champions as both were picked to either tie or claim the title in the 2016 Preseason Coaches' Poll Thursday.

The six-time defending RMAC champion Mustangs are again selected to take the top spot with 16 points and four first-place votes. MSU Denver collected the other vote and was picked second with 13 points.

WNMU went 5-0 in the RMAC last season to win both the regular season and conference titles. They ended up 13-10 overall on the season that went into regionals where the Mustangs hosted St. Edward's.

Juniors Jean-Laurent Pageault (Perrigny, France/Academi des Hauts de Nimes) and Sascha Brechtel (Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Germany/Kurpfalz Gymnasium Mannheim ) were named to the Preseason All-RMAC Team. Pageault from Perrigny, France, has already collected several honors to begin the season. He is ranked 31st in the ITA national ranking in singles, which is the highest ranked player out of the RMAC.

Pageault is also ranked in the South Central Region in singles play at No. 3 after going 9-10 in singles play last year with a majority of his matches (8-9) coming at the No. 2 position. He went a perfect 5-0 in conference play and went 13-9 in doubles play that included a perfect 5-0 RMAC mark with teammate Pablo Santibanez (Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico/CETYS Universidad). Brechtel from Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Germany, is ranked in the region coming in at No. 7. Brechtel will be returning to the court this season after missing last year due to injury. During the 2014 season he went 10-11 in singles play, collecting wins at No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6. He added a 7-7 doubles mark with teammates Omar Lopez and Pageault.

Both Pageault and Brechtel have already posted solid results this past fall advancing to the quarterfinals of the ITA Fall Regionals that took place in San Antonio.

The Lady Mustangs were slotted to tie for first along with Colorado Mesa and MSU Denver with all three collecting 13 points. Colorado Mesa and MSU Denver garnered two first-place votes, while WNMU grabbed the other one.

WNMU posted a perfect 5-0 mark in the conference last year and went on to win both the regular season and conference titles. They finished with an overall record of 12-12 and advances to regionals where they faced St. Mary's.

Senior Claudia Osuna (Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico/Tec Milenio ) was named to the Preseason All-RMAC squad. Osuna from Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, went 13-6 last year and 7-0 in RMAC matches in singles play. She went 11-4 at No. 4 and 2-2 at No. 5. In addition she added a 9-8 doubles mark with teammates Tiffany Newell (Las Vegas, NV/Silverado ) and Pauline Emin, playing mostly at No. 3.

Both teams start the spring season ranked in the South Central Region with the men coming in fourth and the women in ninth.

WNMU begins the 2016 season on Feb. 4 when they will play both Mesa Community College and Grand Canyon University.