Men's Tennis Championship Shot Empire 8 Conference Finals

Men's Tennis Ready For First NCAA Tournament Match In Program History

By Mike Hogan, Athletics Communications Coordinator

St. John Fisher (12-3)


Head Coach: Jason Byam '08 (1st Season Overall)

First Opponent: The College of New Jersey (15-5)


Head Coach: Scott Dicheck (26th Season)

Tufts Regional Schedule


5/8 (First Round)

11 a.m.: Moravian (15-5) vs. Baruch (15-3)

2 p.m.: St. Johhn Fisher (12-3) vs. TCNJ (15-5)

5/9 (Second Round)

11 a.m.: Tufts (22-2) vs. Moravian/Baruch

2 p.m.: Trinity University -Texas (13-8) vs. St. John Fisher/TCNJ

5/10 (Third Round)

Noon: Winners of both second-round games, winner advances to national quaraterfinals. 

NOTE: All matches are scheduled to be played at the Voute Courts at Tufts Tennis Center. In the event of inclement weather, they will be moved to the Manchester Athletic Club in Manchester-by-the Sea, Mass. 

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Tufts Regional Information Site (Click Here)

How They Got Here


St. John Fisher: The Cardinals took down Norwich 4-0 and Alfred 4-3 in the Empire 8 Championship Tournament last weekend to win their first conference title and secure an NCAA Division III Tournament berth, cementing the 2025-26 season as the best in program history. The Cardinals have won a program-record 11 consecutive dual matches, and their 12 total victories on the season mark their most since the 2006 team won 13 matches. Fisher went 10-0 against Empire 8 teams this season, including regular-season and postseason dual matches. 

The College of New Jersey: TCNJ, which will be making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2019, beat the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 4-2 last weekend to capture its first Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title. The Lions last won an NCAA Tournament game in 2017, when they swept Cabrini 5-0 in the first round. TCNJ enters the NCAA Tournament at No. 35 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) DIII Rankings. 

With A Win… 


St. John Fisher would… record its first-ever NCAA Tournament win… extend its winning streak to 12 matches… match the program record for wins in a season (13). 

St. John Fisher vs. TCNJ History


Series Snapshot: Friday’s dual match will mark the first meeting between St. John Fisher and TCNJ. 

St. John Fisher Players To Watch


Singles Players To Watch

Tyler Hernandez – Hernandez was named Most Valuable Player of the Empire 8 Tournament after going 2-0 in first singles, recording wins over Jaxon Redmond of Norwich in the semifinals and Ricardo Alvarez of Alfred in the championship dual match. The junior owns an 11-4 overall record and has played all 15 of his matches in first singles. 

Sebastian Dix – Dix, a freshman, has an 11-4 overall mark, including 10-3 in fourth singles and 1-1 in third singles. He's 9-1 in his last 10 matches. 

Matthew Lincoln – Lincoln, also a freshman, owns a 9-6 overall record and is 7-3 in his last 10 matches. All nine of his victories have come in third singles. 

Sean Brown – Since entering the Cardinals’ singles lineup on March 28 against Houghton, Brown has gone 7-0. He’s recorded each of those victories in fifth singles. 

Doubles Teams To Watch

Tyler Hernandez and Will Chubb – The top doubles tandem in the Empire 8, Hernandez and Chubb lead the team in victories with an 8-3 overall record. They have won eight of their last 10 matches. 

Matthew Lincoln and Sebastian Dix – Lincoln and Dix own a 7-0 record since their first match as doubles partners on April 10 against Alfred. They won both of their matches in the E8 Tournament, beating Diego Lorente Fuentes and Reynard Gan of Norwich 6-1 and Matt Bittel and Josh Erickson of Alfred 6-1. 

Sean Brown and Finn Whitaker – Brown and Whitaker own a 6-4 record and have won three consecutive matches entering the NCAA Tournament. The duo beat Stephen Hartigan and Juan Gonzalez Torres of Norwich and Andre Lopez Jimenez and Breece Erickson of Alfred in the E8 Tournament. 

 

 

The 2026 Season In Photos….

 

Men's Tennis First Empire 8 Championship
Hernandez, Chubb Men's Tennis
Men's Tennis Action Photo
MTENN Chubb and Hernandez Media Day
Brown and Lincoln
MTENN TM Photo 2026
Tyler Hernandez
Charlie Roberts
Sean Brown Media Day
Men's Tennis NCAA Tournament

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