Youngstown, Ohio. — The Mercyhurst University men's tennis team kicks off its 2026-27 campaign this weekend at the YSU Invitational, hosted by Youngstown State. Play runs Saturday, Sept. 12 through Sunday, Sept. 13, marking the Lakers' first competitive action of the fall under head coach Jerome Simon.
A Roster in Transition
Mercyhurst brings 13 players to Youngstown, and the roster is a blend of proven returners and new faces — six true freshmen and one transfer — giving the Lakers a noticeably different look than a year ago.
Returners to Watch
Mercyhurst brings back a core that gives the Lakers experience and a proven playmaker to build around:
- Petar Belosevic (Sr., Belgrade, Serbia) — back for another season after joining the program via Longwood
- Mykhailo Polishchuk (Sr., Kharkiv, Ukraine) — a veteran presence in the lineup
- David Mengher (Jr., Pickering, Canada) — back for his third season with the program
- Nikola Radišic (So., Zrenjanin, Serbia) — enters the year as one of the program's breakout stories after being named to the NEC All-Rookie Team at the conclusion of last season
Radišic's All-Rookie honor makes him one of the more intriguing returners to watch this weekend — a player who's already proven he can compete at the conference level and now looks to build on that as a sophomore.
New Faces to Know
- Javier Sanchez (Jr., Torreblascopedro, Spain) — a transfer from Judson, bringing added competitive experience
The freshman class is one of the largest in recent memory, with six first-years joining the program:
That's seven new players in total on a 13-man roster — meaning more than half the team will be making its Mercyhurst debut this weekend.
View the entire Men's Tennis Schedule here.
