DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Bethune-Cookman Men's and Women's tennis teams have been voted to finish third and second, respectively, in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southern Division, the league announced today {January 14, 2019}.

The Wildcat men received three of a possible 18 first-place votes and 50 points of the preseason poll of the conference's Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors. South Carolina State received 10 votes and 78 points while Florida A&M garnered four votes and 63 points. Morgan State was selected to win the Northern Division.

On the women's side, the Lady Wildcats were one first place and one point shy of Florida A&M's 10 first-place votes and 122 points in the Southern Division voting. Morgan State was also selected as the women's Northern Division preseason favorite.

"The projected finish for both our men's and women's team is a positive for us and one that we will not only use as our motivation, but also to set our expectations for the MEAC Championships," said BCU Head Coach Val Villucci.  "As a whole, we are striving to be better than what is expected by our fellow conference teams. The fact that we are considered among the best is a testament to our athletes and their recent accomplishments.  We are looking forward to achieving the goals that we have set for ourselves."

The BCU women were 9-8 overall and finished second in divisional play in 2018, falling in the tournament semifinals. The Wildcat men were 4-10 last season, but scored a tournament victory at the HBCU Nationals during fall play in September.

The 2019 seasons begins on January 22 with the women facing nearby Embry-Riddle and the men also squaring off against the nearby Eagles two day later.