Men's Tennis | June 3
DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's tennis team finished in the final ITA Division I Midwest Region Team rankings at No. 8, the organization announced today. All seven teams ahead of NIU are ranked in the national top 75 and the Huskies were slotted just ahead of Western Michigan and DePaul.
"The guys deserve all the credit for such a great accomplishment," said head coach René Vidal. "They beat the skeptics and performed at a high level when it mattered most. Now, our sights are set on making waves at the national level."
In addition to the Huskies receiving team recognition, NIU was spotlighted in the singles rankings with
Iker Gaztambide Arrastia coming in at No. 14. The outgoing senior is the only player in the top 20 that isn't in the Big Ten or Atlantic Coast Conference.
The top six finishers in the Midwest Region each made the NCAA Tournament with all six in the latest top 50 rankings and three in the top 20. NIU played three teams in the final Midwest Region rankings in No. 2 Illinois (No. 14 national), No. 5 Wisconsin (No. 34 national) and No. 9 Western Michigan.
The Huskies defeated Western Michigan twice this season, including downing the Broncos in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament. NIU came in at the No. 8 ranking with a 13.7 WTN.
The top 10 ranking puts a bow on a standout season for NIU that saw 18 wins, a conference championship appearance, conference player of the year and 10 player of the week honors.
ITA Midwest Region Rankings
No. 1 Ohio State ^
No. 2 Illinois ^
No. 3 Michigan State ^
No. 4 Notre Dame ^
No. 5 Wisconsin ^
No. 6 Michigan ^
No. 7 Northwestern
No. 8 NIU
No. 9 Western Michigan
No. 10 DePaul
2026 NIU Opponent
^ NCAA Tournament Participant
