BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's tennis team has been picked to finsh in first place in the Little East Conference (LEC) standings as the 2026 Little East Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches Poll was released today by LEC Associate Commissioner, Daryl Konicki.

The Bears received 34 points in the poll with five first-place votes. Defending LEC champion Rhode Island College finished second in the poll with 31 points and a pair of first-place votes, while UMass Boston rounded out the top three teams with 27 points.

Under the guidance of head coach Dave Purpura (10th Year), the Bridgewater State men's tennis team posted an 8-5 overall record in 2025 with a 5-1 conference mark. Seeded second in the Little East Tournament, the Bears posted a 5-0 semifinal round victory over third-seeded UMass Boston before dropping a 5-1 decision to #1 RIC in the championship match.

Returning to Bears' lineup in 2025 are seniors Tyler Barros (Somerset, Mass.), Adam Beatrice (Rockland, Mass.) and Ryan Hebert (Taunton, Mass.); juniors Tom Ayson (Plymouth, Mass.) and Anthony Lucas (Weymouth, Mass.); and sophomores Khiem Nguyen (Burlington, Mass.) and Tyler Rocchio (Attleboro, Mass.).

Newcomers to the squad are freshmen Ryan Abreu (Lakeville, Mass.), Will Horton (Lakeville, Mass.), Daniel Parath (Millbury, Mass.) and Jesse Perron (Northbridge, Mass.).

The Bears opened the season this past October with a fall semester match against Emerson College. The scheduled continues on Monday, March 16th when the Bears head to the University of New England for a 3:30 match with the Nor'easters. Little East play gets underway on Saturday, March 28th (1:00 PM) when the Bears welcome the University of Southern Maine Huskies to the Rosen Courts. Click here for the 2026 BSU men's tennis schedule.