LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Wesleyan men's tennis team has earned the No. 5 seed for the 2016-17 Iowa Conference Men's Tennis NCAA Automatic Qualifier Tournament that will be held May 5-6.  Regular season champion, Coe College, earned the right to host the tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
 
NWU will face the No. 5 seed, Wartburg College, in an opening round match on Friday May 5 at 4:00 pm.  The winner of the match between the Prairie Wolves and Knights will advance to the tournament semifinals to face top-seeded Coe College on Saturday at 9:00 am.  The championship match is slated for Saturday at 1:30 pm.
 
The winner of the tournament will receive the Iowa Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championship.  The first three rounds begin on Friday, May 12 and run through Sunday, May 14.  The 2017 Championships are being held in Chattanooga, Tennessee on May 22-27.
 
Nebraska Wesleyan finished the 2016-17 regular season with a 6-12 overall record and a 4-4 mark in IIAC play under first year coach Dave Northey.  The Prairie Wolves had gone winless in conference play the past two seasons, but went 4-4 in their inaugural season in the Iowa Conference.
 
NWU and Wartburg met in the final match of the regular season with the Knights earning a 7-2 win over the Prairie Wolves in Lincoln.  NWU had won four straight IIAC matches prior to the loss as they head into the tournament with momentum.  Wartburg has a 9-13 overall record and 4-3 mark in IIAC play with one regular season match remaining.