Men's Tennis | 4/28/2026 9:15:00 AM
East Division Top-seed Thomas will host the 2026 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Championship, which will take place with semifinal action Friday, May 1 and the championship on Saturday, May 2. SUNY Oswego, the defending E8 Champion heads to West No. 2 Alfred University in opening round action on April 28, while East Division No. 2 seed Norwich University, earned a berth in the semifinals by defeating East No. 3 seed Delhi on April 25.
Thomas will take on Alfred/Oswego in one semifinal on May 1, while West Division top-seed St. John Fisher University earned a bye into the semifinals and will take on Norwich on May 1. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2026 Empire 8 Championship on Saturday, May 2. The Empire 8 Champion will receive an automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship, which begins on Thursday, May 8.
2026 Empire 8 Men's Tennis Championship Participants
East No. 1 – Thomas College (5-0 E8)
East No. 2 – Norwich University (4-1 E8)
East No. 3 – SUNY Delhi (3-2 E8)
West No. 1 – St. John Fisher University (8-0 E8)
West No. 2 – Alfred University (6-2 E8)
West No. 3 – SUNY Oswego (3-5 E8)
The 2026 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X and Instagram (@Empire8).
2026 Empire 8 Men's Tennis Championship Schedule
Saturday, April 25 - First Round (East Division)
East No. 2 Norwich defeated East No. 3 SUNY Delhi, 6-1
Tuesday, April 28 - First Round (West Division)
West No. 3 SUNY Oswego at West No. 2 Alfred – 4 p.m.
Friday, May 1 - Semifinals (at Thomas College)
Winner of West No. 2 Alfred/No. 3 SUNY Oswego at No. 1 East Thomas – 2:30 p.m.
East No. 2 Norwich vs. West No. 1 St. John Fisher – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 2 - Championship (at Thomas College)
Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2 – 1 p.m.
Format: Dual match is played until decision (4 points) Three doubles matches (1 point) are followed by six singles matches. No-ad scoring for both singles and doubles matches. Singles matches will play two out of three sets. Doubles play eight pro set with a twelve-point tiebreaker at 7-all.
EAST
Thomas College, the E8 East Division Champions for the second straight season, enters the 2026 E8 Tournament with an 13-2 mark, having finished 5-0 in the East Division to earn the top seed. The Bulldogs enter the tournament having won four matches in a row. Thai Nguyen has played the season at No. 1 singles, while Dominic Clifford and Camden Herrick have appeared at No. 2 and No. 3 singles. Nguyen and Casey Duncan have excelled at No. 1 doubles. While Herrick and Clifford have enjoyed tremendous success at the No. 2 doubles position, while Ricky Salazar and Calvin Cutler have teamed up at third doubles. Thomas advanced to the E8 Semifinals in 2025.
Norwich enters the tournament with a 13-3 overall record and finished 4-1 mark in E8 East Division play. The Cadets earned a berth in the E8 Tournament by defeating SUNY Delhi, 6-1 on April 25. Terrance Bayly-Henshaw is 11-2 on the season at second singles and has teamed with Jaxson Redmond to record an 9-3 mark at first doubles. Redmond is also 9-3 at first singles. Stephen Hartigan and Juan Gonzalez Torres have also been key contributors for Norwich throughout the season. The Cadets advanced to the Empire 8 Semifinals last season.
WEST
The Cardinals of St. John Fisher earned the top seed in the Western Division after finishing 8-0 in league play, while entering with a 10-3 overall mark. The Cardinals have won nine straight dual matches entering the E8 Tournament. Tyler Hernandez has played all season at first singles and went 7-1 in league play, while Will Chubb was a mainstay at second singles. Matthew Lincoln was 6-2 in league play at third singles, while Sebastian Dix was a perfect 8-0 at fourth singles against E8 competition and Sean Brown was 6-0 at fifth singles. Hernandez and Chubb went 6-1 at first doubles in E8 play, while Lincoln and Dix were unbeaten at third doubles. The Cardinals, who out-scored opponents, 45-11 in league play this season, are looking to win their first E8 Championship.
Alfred, the No. 2 seed in the West, is in the midst of one of its best seasons in program history, finishing 6-2 in Empire 8 play during the regular season and 12-5 overall. Ricardo Alvarez Janik is 9-4 at first singles, while Andre Lopez Jimenez has combined to go 13-3 at first and second singles. Breece Erickson is 11-1 at third singles and 14-2 overall, while Anlun Zewrver, Matthew Bittel and Josh Erickson have also excelled in singles play. Alvarez Janik and Zwerver are 9-4 at first doubles, while Lopez Jimenez and Breece Erickson have won 12 straight matches at second doubles. The Saxons are looking to win their first E8 Championship.
SUNY Oswego, the defending Empire 8 Champions, earned the No. 3 seed via tiebreaker over Houghton University and enter the tourney with three league wins. Cole Lyons has a 7-3 singles mark split between the first and second position, while Colin Byer, Jose Miguel Garcia Moreta and Tyler Yuhn have excelled in singles play for the Lakers. Byer and Yhun have played together at both first and second doubles, while Connor Tutor and Garcia Moreta are 7-2 at third doubles.
Alfred swept first round SUNY Oswego earlier in the season by scores of 7-0 on April 11 and 5-2 on April 24.