Navy Men’s Tennis to Face Oklahoma State in NCAA Tournament

ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– The Navy men’s tennis team will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., this week to face Oklahoma State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  The Mids (9-0) and the Cowboys (9-11) will play Saturday at 10 a.m.

The Mids, who are essentially the No. 3 seed in the North Carolina Regional, earned their berth into the event by winning the Patriot League Tournament for a league-high 13th time.

Oklahoma State earned an at-large berth into the 64-team field.  The Cowboys, who would be considered the No. 2 seed in the region, lost in the semifinal round of the Big 12 Conference Tournament to a Texas team that earned the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Navy is making its Patriot League-best 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the current format was instituted with the 1999 edition of the event.  The Mids are making their third-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament (the 2020 event was canceled) and fourth in six opportunities under head coach Chris Garner.

Oklahoma State is appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh consecutive time (2014-21) and the 15th time since 2001.  The Cowboys most recently lost in the first round in 2018, in the second round in 2014, ’15, ’17 and ’19 and in the Round of 16 in 2016.

This is the first time Navy will not be playing either a nationally-ranked team or a regional host in its first-round match.

Saturday’s match will be the first between the Mids and the Cowboys.  It also will mark the second time in which Navy will play at Chapel Hill in the NCAA Tournament.  The Mids lost to the Tar Heels in 2019 in the only other trip to the school.

Navy and Oklahoma State comprise half of the four-team regional being hosted by North Carolina.  The Tar Heels, who earned the overall No. 6 seed in the tournament, will play host to Presbyterian Saturday at 1 p.m. in the additional first-round match at the site.  The winners of the two first-round matches will play in Sunday’s second round at 1 p.m.