Presbyterian College Names John Collins Men's Tennis Head Coach
CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College Athletic Department and Athletic Director Rob Acunto announced Thursday the hiring of John Collins as the Head Men's Tennis Coach. Collins has over seven years of coaching experience and tennis instruction, as well as four years of playing experience at the Division I level, and comes to PC after five years as head coach at Winthrop.
"I am beyond excited for this opportunity to lead the men's tennis program at Presbyterian College,' said Collins. "It became clear to me during the interview process that there is such a strong family-like atmosphere on campus; I am eager to be a part of that family. I look forward to continuing the rich tennis tradition at PC by achieving academic excellence, while also competing for Big South Conference Championships. I'd like to thank Rob (Acunto) for his transparency during the interview process and for his willingness to work with me. I cannot wait to get started. Go Blue Hose!"
"John's playing and coaching experience quickly caught our attention, as did his strong familiarity with the Big South Conference and PC," said Acunto. "We feel fortunate to have him become a part of the PC family and to help lead our men's tennis program to new heights."
Collins most recently served as the head coach of the Winthrop men's tennis team from August 2015 until the summer of 2020. Collins joined the Eagles in August 2014 as a graduate assistant.
In just his third season at the helm, Collins led Winthrop to the 2018 Big South Conference regular season championship with an undefeated league record of 7-0. In his first year as a graduate assistant, Collins was part of an Eagles team that earned the 2015 Big South Conference Championship title.
Collins had at least one student-athlete named to the Big South All-Conference teams in each of his years at Winthrop, with four players earning honors in 2018. Diego Quiroz was a four-time All-Conference honoree and was one of only 13 players in Big South men's tennis history to achieve that feat. Collins coached doubles tandem Quiroz and Ruy Teixeira to a career-high ITA National Doubles Ranking of No. 42 in the fall of 2017, the first national ranking for Collins as a head coach.
Collins' squads have been recognized as ITA All-Academic Teams each year under his direction. During the 2018 fall and 2019 spring semesters, the Winthrop set new records for team-highs in cumulative GPA, with both semesters over a 3.5.
Prior to his arrival at Winthrop, Collins was a volunteer assistant coach at Elon where he coached Cameron Silverman at the 2014 NCAA Singles Championships. Collins also helped Elon to its best year in program history with a No. 39 ITA team national ranking.
Collins was an excellent collegiate player at both Maryland and Tennessee. In his senior season at Tennessee, Collins ranked as high as sixth nationally in doubles and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Team Championship with the fifth-ranked Volunteers.
Collins competed in his first three years at Maryland, where he reached ninth nationally in doubles and a No. 121 national ranking in singles. While Collins was at Maryland the Terrapins advanced to the NCAA Team Championship for the first time ever in 2011, defeating No. 18 Michigan in the first round. Collins was also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Collins is certified as a Professional Tennis Instructor by the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) and has also coached several ranked junior players.