Brian Etzkin Position: Head Coach Experience: Fifth Year

Entering his seventh season as Cleveland State men's and women's tennis coach, Brian Etzkin has the best chance he has ever had to lead his teams to concurrent Horizon League championships since taking over the programs in 2002.

With his extensive knowledge and passion for the game, Etzkin has successfully rebuilt Cleveland State tennis from the ground up, and is now producing confident and consistent teams. Both the men and the women have posted winning seasons in four of the past six years under the guidance of Etzkin.

In those six years Etzkin has developed the Viking men into one of the most respected programs in the conference. Last season, he led the men's squad to its first Horizon League championship as well as its first NCAA tournament appearance in school history.

Etzkin's accomplishments are extremely impressive, given the fact that the men's program did not field a varsity team for a majority of the 90's, and had only won three matches since its return in 2000.

With 81 career wins, Etzkin is the winningest men's tennis coach in Cleveland State history. In 2007-08 he coached the men to an overall record of 18-6, and produced 2008 Horizon League Player of the Year Phil Orno. CSU went into the Horizon League Championships as the No. 1 seed, another program first, before eventually emerging as the conference champion. The men received a bid to play in the NCAA tournament where they were defeated by second-ranked Ohio State, 4-0, in the opening round.

In his first season as head coach Etzkin immediately showed significant progress. He led the men's team to nine wins, a dramatic improvement over the two wins they tallied the prior season.

On the women's side, he added four recruits that would help contribute to the equally-dramatic improvement of that program, including 2005 Horizon League Player of the Year Sarah Galon, a four-time first team All-Horizon League selection. Galon became Cleveland State's most decorated women's tennis player, as a four-time first team all-league selection, 2004 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year, and the league's Player of the Year in 2005.

When Etzkin inherited the women's team, CSU had posted 16 straight losing seasons, including 11 seasons with no more than four victories.

The quality of Etzkin's initial recruiting class was apparent in his second season. The women's squad compiled a 10-17 record, which was the highest win total since 1984. Etzkin was awarded 2004 Horizon League Coach of the Year honors for his efforts with the women's team. The men's squad went 13-11 that season and finished third at the Horizon League Championships.

Etzkin's players have reaped the benefits of his tutelage. In six seasons under Etzkin, 11 Vikings have received all-league honors a total of 22 times.

On the men's side, in addition to being named Player of the Year in 2008, Orno was selected to the league's first team for the second straight year. Ryan Hamning has received all-league honors twice in as many years.

Jay Tee was selected as the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year in 2003 and received second team all-league honors four times, while Eric Winn picked up all-league honors three times, including a first team choice in 2004.

The importance of academics and sportsmanship is evident in Etzkin's coaching philosophy. The women's team has received ITA All-Academic honors in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 while the men's team captured ITA All-Academic team status in 2007. Three of Etzkin's players have been tabbed for the Horizon League's Herb Foster Sportsmanship Award for their conduct both on and off the court, Morgan Ungerott (2008), Brad Groleski (2006), and Galon (2006, 2007). Galon also received the NCAA Sportsmanship Award, selected from among all female student-athletes from the 330 Division I schools for the 2006-07 athletic year.

Not only does Etzkin stress academics and sportsmanship, he always encourages his players to become involved in their school and the community. The teams have adopted a second grade class at Marion-Sterling Elementary in downtown Cleveland. At least three members of the teams visit the children in the class twice a week to assist students with their reading, comprehension, and vocabulary skills. The teams have been working there for the last six years and will continue this on-going service project.

Due in large part to such service to the community, several members of the tennis team have become leaders of Cleveland State's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC). Steven Wipprecht currently serves as president of the organization. In 2007, Brad Groleski served as vice-president, and in 2006 Galon and Morgan Ungerott served as vice-president and secretary of SAAC.

Etzkin, who was born in Cleveland and raised in Wooster, returned to Northeast Ohio after a two-year stint as an assistant men's tennis coach at Michigan State. While at MSU, he assisted in every aspect of the program, including serving as recruiting coordinator.

He also worked as the assistant tennis professional at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility in addition to being the head tennis pro at Walnut Hills Country Club.

Prior to his tenure with the Spartans, Etzkin spent two seasons as an assistant coach for both the men's and women's programs at Western Illinois University (1998-00). In addition to his collegiate coaching post, Etzkin coached the 2002 Midwest Junior Davis Cup team to the national championship in Columbia, S.C. He is also a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Certified Teaching Pro.

Etzkin played four years of tennis at Southern-Illinois University-Carbondale, earning a bachelor's degree in psychology. As a senior in 1998, he received GTE Academic All-American honors and was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference All-Academic selection.

Etzkin earned a master's degree in sport management from Western Illinois in 2002.