No. 2-ranked Denison and No. 11-ranked Kenyon have both earned spots in the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championships, which begin with first-third round matchups this weekend, May 8-10. Both teams have earned first-round byes and will open play in the second round. Denison (25-2) will host a set of opening round matches in Granville, Ohio, while Kenyon will travel to the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.
The Big Red will face the winner of the first-round matchup between Carthage (22-3) and Illinois Tech (14-5). The Firebirds and Scarlet Hawks will square off on Friday, May 8, with the winner advancing to face Denison on Saturday, May 9.
Denison will make its sixth-consecutive and 13th overall appearance in the national tournament, after winning the NCAC's automatic berth with a 4-0 victory over the then-No. 9 Kenyon Owls in the conference tournament final. The Big Red hold a 10-12 (.454) record in NCAA action, highlighted by winning the national champion for the first time in program history last season. Carthage earned its spot in the NCAA Tournament with a 4-1 victory over North Central in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) tournament final. This marks the Firebirds’ 12th NCAA Tournament appearance; they hold a 6-11 (.352) record in postseason play. Illinois Tech secured its NCAA Tournament berth by winning the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Tournament with a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). This marks the Scarlet Hawks’ sixth NCAA Tournament appearance; they own a 3-5 (.375) record all-time in tournament action. This marks the first time that Denison will face Illinois Tech, while the Big Red own a 1-0 record over the Firebirds, with the most recent meeting coming in 2023 when Denison earned a 9-0 victory.
Kenyon (21-4), who received an at-large selection, will await the winner of Gustavus Adolphus (19-9) vs. Greenville (20-6) matchup. The Golden Gusties and Panthers will face off on Friday, May 9, with the winner advancing to the second round to face the Owls on Saturday, May 10.
The Kenyon Owls return to the NCAA Tournament for the second-consecutive and 25th overall time in program history. The Owls own a 27-22 (.551) record in national postseason play. Gustavus Adolphus secured its NCAA Tournament berth by winning the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Tournament with a 4-0 win over Carleton. This marks the Golden Gusties’ 41st NCAA Tournament appearance; they own a 59-42 (.584) record all-time in tournament play. Greenville earned an automatic qualifying bid to the national stage after topping Wisconsin-Superior 4-0 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference tournament final. This marks the Panthers’ fourth NCAA Tournament appearance; they own a 1-3 (.250) record in postseason play. If Greenville advances, it would mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs, while Kenyon and Gustavus Adolphus previously met in 2020, when the Gusties bested the Owls 5-4.
All rounds are single elimination, with all match times to be announced once more information is available.
The University of the South and the City of Chattanooga will host the team championships finals, which will be held May 19-22 at Champions Tennis Club in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Student-athletes selected to the individual championships will be announced on Wednesday, May 6.