George Mason University
Upon entering my first year of graduate school in August, 2018, I began coaching as a volunteer assistant for George Mason University’s men’s tennis team. I worked under head coach Jimmy Davis, helping run practices 1-2 times a week. I coached in 40 dual matches spanning across five seasons. Over the years, I helped the Patriots record wins against Villanova University, Lehigh University, Colgate University, and A10 conference opponents University of Dayton (1-1) and University of Richmond (1-13) for the first time in program history. When coaching in 3-3 match situations, I culminated an 8-3 record with the team. In 2021 and 2023, George Mason achieved a program high number 5 seed in the A10 Conference Championships.
Junior Traveling Coach
While in college, I worked with junior Robby Shymansky (pictured serving) as a traveling coach to United States Tennis Association (USTA) tournaments including the Middle States Sectional Championships (2016, 2017, 2018), the National Winter Championships (2016, 2017, 2018), and the National Championships in Kalamazoo, MI (2017, 2018). Robby would reach a career high national ranking of 29 during this time, and would go on to play college tennis for Yale University.
Kenyon College
I played college tennis for four seasons at Kenyon College from 2014-18, helping the team win four North Coast Athletic Conference Championships leading to three Sixteen 16 and one Elite 8 appearance. While at Kenyon, I helped organize and coach weekly training sessions outside of practices with teammates and coached in over 25 dual matches. During my later years, I worked closely with players Austin Diehl (pictured left) and Jake Zalenski.
Fox Chapel Golf Club
For four summers between 2015-2018, I worked as the Assistant Tennis Professional at the Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, PA. As head of the Junior Development Program, I worked with a range of players from beginners at age 3 to advanced tournament players at the high school and college level. During my tenure at the club, I discovered a passion for teaching that inspired me to pursue a career in education.
Coaching Influences
I had many great coaches growing up playing tennis in the Pittsburgh area, but two of them were extremely influential in shaping my thinking ability, work ethic, and coaching philosophy.
Mark Pemu
I took my first lesson from Mark when I was six years old. Mark knew that one learned best through experience, and had extraordinary patience for my unwilling acceptance of advice. Mark would help me understand what it meant to be a leader, set an example, and play for something beyond myself. Most importantly, he taught me that I would always be remembered as a person before any accomplishment and to always put sportsmanship and respect for others above all else.
Craig Perry
Although I trained in some of his clinics in high school, I did not start working for Craig Perry at the Fox Chapel Golf Club until after my freshman year of college. Craig taught me to go beyond what was asked of me and to work as a team to produce a quality service. After long days of work, I would jump into Craig’s training sessions. He would challenge me to relentlessly push myself, insisting on my best effort. The mentality was always to be better today than I was yesterday. Once I established this mentality in my training on the court, I found ways to apply the same work ethic to other aspects of my life. Much of my teaching today stems from these experiences and understanding how to challenge students and players through positive motivation.