Washington College Athletic Director Dr. Bryan Matthews is pleased to announce the hiring of Dave Donn as the school’s new head men’s and women’s tennis coach. Donn’s coaching resume includes guiding nationally-ranked NCAA Division III programs at Williams College and University of Redlands and recruiting top-10 recruiting classes at both schools.
“We are extremely excited to announce Dave Donn as our next head tennis coach,” Matthews notes. “His success at both Williams and the University of Redlands makes him the perfect fit for our two tennis programs. His energy and passion for coaching tennis gives us great confidence that he will provide the leadership to re-establish the excellence that Washington College tennis has known.”
“I want to thank Dr. Matthews and everyone in the department for the opportunity to join the Washington College family,” remarks Donn. “It is with great honor and excitement that I have accepted this position. I came away so impressed with everyone during my visit to campus; the players, coaches and staff all made me feel so welcome. I cannot wait to get going with both teams.”
Donn, 29, most recently served as a graduate assistant coach at Redlands, though his duties included all operations, both coaching and recruiting, of the women’s team. In his two years at Redlands, the Bulldogs posted an overall record of 25-18, playing against one of the toughest schedules in Division III. His 2010 team reached the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament and was ranked as high as eighth in the nation. He was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) West Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2010.
While at Redlands, Donn coached two All-Americans and seven All-SCIAC honorees, including the 2010 SCIAC Player of the Year and NCAA Woman of the Year Nominee. Donn’s 2011 recruiting class at Redlands ranked 10th in all of Division III by Tennis Recruiting Network, giving the program an even more promising future.
Prior to arriving at Redlands, Donn spent two years as the head men’s tennis coach at Williams, compiling a record of 31-10 and leading the Ephs to back-to-back NCAA Division III Quaterfinal appearances. He coached four All-Americans and eight All-New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) selections at Williams, including the 2008 ITA Northeast and NESCAC Player of the Year. His 2009 recruiting class at Williams was ranked number one in Division III by Tennis Recruiting Network.
As impressive as Donn’s teams have been on the court, they have also excelled in the classroom. Under his guidance, both the Ephs and Bulldogs earned ITA All-Academic Team Awards. One of his players at Redlands earned ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District honors.
Donn’s first head coaching job was as the boys coach at Longmeadow (MA) High School, where he guided the team to a 17-1 record and state semifinal appearance in 2005. He also served as the tennis director and assistant camp director for the Nike Tennis Camp at Williams and as marketing director and summer sports camp administrator for eCamps, Inc. In addition to coaching, Donn taught physical education classes at both Redlands and Williams and was the intramural coordinator at Williams.
A four-year player and two year captain at the University of Richmond, Donn was a three-time first-team All-Atlantic 10 selection and helped lead the Spiders to their first two NCAA Division I Tournament appearances. He was voted his team’s Most Valuable Player in 2003 and 2004 and Most Improved Player in 2002. He was named the school’s Student-Athlete of the Year in 2004, becoming the first male tennis player in school history to earn that distinction.
A Dean’s List student, Donn earned a B.A. in Sociology and Communication from Richmond in 2004.
The Washington College men’s tennis team has appeared in 19 NCAA Division III Tournaments, most recently in 2006, and won the 1994 and 1997 NCAA Division III National Championships. The Shoremen also won 20 conference championships in a 21-year span from 1986-2006. The Shoremen are coming off a 9-9 season in 2011, finishing fifth in the Centennial Conference. Adam Cranford, who graduated from the school in May, earned All-America honors by reaching the second round of the 2011 NCAA Division III Singles Championship.
The Washington College women’s tennis team has reached the championship match of the Centennial Conference Tournament three times in the past six years, posting an 80-36 record over that span, the winningest six-year stretch in team history. With a roster of no seniors, the 2011 Shorewomen became the first squad in team history to have four players finish the season regionally-ranked.
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