PORTLAND, Ore.— The Lewis & Clark College men's tennis team has reached the midway point of its Northwest Conference schedule. The River Otters sit tied for third place with a 4-3 conference record and a 4-7 overall mark.
 
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
 
Northwest Conference coaches projected the River Otters to finish second out of eight teams this spring, awarding Lewis & Clark one first-place vote and 41 points. Whitman College, which received seven first-place votes and 49 points, was selected to defend its 2025 Northwest Conference regular-season and tournament championships.
 
Whitworth finished third in the poll with 34 points, followed by Pacific with 30. George Fox and Linfield tied for fifth with 25 points each. Puget Sound placed seventh with 13 points, and Willamette rounded out the poll in eighth with seven.
 
FIRST HALF RECAP
 
Lewis & Clark opened the season with a narrow 4-3 conference loss at George Fox before traveling to the Los Angeles area for four matches against Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponents. The River Otters dropped contests to Chapman University, Caltech, Pomona-Pitzer and Occidental College.
 
After returning from the SCIAC trip, Lewis & Clark resumed Northwest Conference play and has gone 4-2. The River Otters recorded wins over Puget Sound, Willamette, Pacific and Linfield.
 
KEY RETURNERS
 
Junior Noah Sutin moved from the No. 1 singles position last season to the No. 2 spot this year. In 2025, Sutin went 5-8 in NWC singles play and finished 11-2 at No. 1 doubles in conference matches. This season, he holds a 6-1 NWC singles record and is 6-0 at No. 2. Sutin and senior Kai Wills are 4-2 in conference play at No. 1 doubles.
 
Senior Wade McDermott posted 34 total wins last season and finished 10-3 in Northwest Conference singles play and 7-6 in doubles. He recorded seven victories at No. 3 singles and seven at No. 1 doubles. This spring, McDermott is 4-2 at No. 5 singles and has earned four wins at No. 2 doubles.
 
Senior Kai Wills totaled 14 Northwest Conference wins between singles and doubles last season. This year, he and Sutin are 4-2 in NWC play at No. 1 doubles and 8-7 overall as a team.
 
THREE THINGS TO WATCH
 

1. Lewis & Clark is tied for third place with George Fox at 4-3 in conference play. The two teams meet Saturday at the L&C Tennis Dome, and the winner will take sole possession of third place.
2. The first weekend of April brings the top two teams in the conference to Portland. The River Otters face second-place Whitworth on April 4. The April 5 match against conference leader Whitman will serve as Senior Day, when Lewis & Clark will recognize seniors Landon Cronin, Spencer Loucks, Wade McDermott and Kai Wills in a pre-match ceremony.
3. Lewis & Clark has two nonconference matches remaining on its schedule. The River Otters will play an exhibition at NCAA Division I Portland State on Friday morning and will host the University of California, Santa Cruz on April 2.