For the third year in a row, the men’s tennis team at University of the Pacific has cracked the Intercollegiate Tennis Association national rankings.

Pacific moved into the national poll at No. 75 with wins over New Mexico, UC Davis and Sacramento State.

“Rankings are a reflection of the daily work our guys put in—in the weight room, on the practice court and in the training room,” said Head Coach Clifton Awuy. “We’re proud of it, but it wasn’t a surprise to our team because we see the habits behind the scenes every day. At Pacific, we talk about earning everything. A ranking is earned, but it’s also temporary. What matters most to us is continuing to improve and represent the university the right way.”

Awuy is in his first year at the helm after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach with the Tigers. As an assistant, he helped elevate the program to national rankings in 2024 and 2025.

Though Pacific had to replace its top three players this season and move others higher in the lineup, Awuy believes the program’s foundation made the transition seamless.

“Our program has never been built around one or two players—it’s built around standards. When older guys leave, the expectation doesn’t change, and the culture stays the same,” Awuy said “Our returners embraced more responsibility, and our younger players stepped into bigger roles because they were already being developed for that moment. We prepare everyone in the lineup like they’re going to play at the top.”

One student who made a significant jump in the lineup is Hunterville, New Zealand, native Jonty Giesen ’28, a sports management and analytics major. After playing primarily at the No. 4 and 5 spots last season, Giesen moved up to court one in 2026.

Giesen won a critical 6-1, 7-5 match at No. 1 singles over Sacramento State to help the Tigers win 5-2. He’s also won three matches at No. 1 doubles with Niv Zuckerman ’28, a business administration and finance major.

“It doesn’t matter a whole lot to me where I’m playing in the lineup as long as I’m helping the team,” Giesen said. “It’s exciting to see us in the rankings, but I believe we can be a lot higher. We have a lot of young guys this year who are improving really fast, and I know if we keep working the way we do every day, we will keep rising.”

Terence Das ’26, a communication major with a concentration in education, has also moved up. Das has seen action in the top half of the lineup after primarily playing at No. 6 last season.

“I’ve been here the longest on the team. I’ve been here since 2021, so I’ve been a part of each nationally ranked team, and it’s been amazing,” Das said. “This tennis program has made enormous progression since I first got here, and that’s a testament to the coaches, administration and my teammates who I’ve trained with.”

As the Tigers near the midway point of the season, Das believes the team still has more to prove.

“We’re proud of our performances so far, but we’re not done yet. I know we can achieve a much higher ranking, and I’m excited to see where we can end up in April by the time the season ends,” he said.

Pacific’s next home match is Wednesday, March 4 when it hosts Hawaii at 1 p.m. at the Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center. View the full schedule.