OMAHA, Neb. and CLEVELAND –– Omaha Men's Tennis will be joining the Mid-American Conference (MAC) beginning with the 2026-27 season, it was announced Tuesday.
"I am pleased to welcome Drake University and the University of Nebraska at Omaha as affiliate members in men's tennis," said MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon A. Steinbrecher. "Both institutions bring strong traditions of competitive success and a commitment to providing an outstanding student-athlete experience. Their addition further strengthens the level of competition within our men's tennis championship and continues to enhance the profile of the sport within the Mid-American Conference."
The Maverick men's tennis program competed in the Summit League from 2012 after transitioning to Division I until the end of the 2025-26 season. With the discontinuation of Illinois State's and North Dakota's men's tennis programs, the Summit League will no longer sponsor men's tennis. During its time in the league, the program has had 18 All-League selections and advanced to the conference championships matches twice in 2017 and 2021.
"The MAC is an outstanding fit for Omaha Men's Tennis and provides a clear path for our program to continue elevating competitively," said Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Adrian Dowell. "As conference realignment impacted the future of men's tennis within the Summit League, it was important that we identified a home that offers stability, strong competition and championship opportunities for our student-athletes. We are grateful to Commissioner Steinbrecher and the MAC for their confidence in Omaha and look forward to building new rivalries while competing at the highest level of the sport."
This past season, Omaha went 2-2 against MAC members (including incoming Drake). The Mavs have a winning record against UIC (3-1) and have played closely contested matches against Western Michigan, Northern Illinois and Drake. WMU leads the series 2-0 all-time, while NIU (outgoing member) leads the series 6-4 all-time and Drake leads 8-3 all-time.
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) ranked Omaha No. 10 in the Central Region in its end-of-year regional rankings. Drake was No. 8 in the Central. NIU and Western Michigan ended the year ranked No. 8 and No. 9 in the Midwest Region, respectively. Reigning MAC tournament champion Buffalo was No. 5 in the New England Region.
"I could not be more excited for our program to be joining the MAC," head coach Hunter Clark said. "This conference has a great tennis history and is full of incredible programs, so it is an honor to be a part of it moving forward. And I know the guys on the team will be excited as well."
The move to the MAC comes during a pivotal period for Omaha Men's Tennis. Recently, the program received an anonymous gift of $125,000, the largest in program history, which will help strengthen program operations and provide additional resources as the Mavericks begin a new chapter.
"We are deeply grateful to receive this generous donation to our program," Clark said. "It comes at such a pivotal time, especially in this day and age of college athletics, and it will help elevate our program as we transition into this new era of Omaha Tennis."
Connect with Omaha Men's Tennis on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, @OmahaMTEN.
