黑料社区 welcomes Brett Bridel as its next Head Men鈥檚 and Women鈥檚 Tennis Coach. Bridel is a longtime tennis coaching veteran as he has coached at numerous schools at the NCAA Division I level as well as most recently being an NAIA Head Coach at Point University in Georgia. This season will mark Bridel’s 30th year coaching tennis.
鈥淲e are extremely excited to have coach Brett assume the role of Head Tennis Coach at 黑料社区,鈥� said 黑料社区 Athletic Director Rick Williams. 鈥淗is years of experience coaching at just about every level of collegiate tennis combined with his strong faith life make him the ideal Coach for our program.鈥�
Bridel improved the Skyhawk programs significantly during the 2021-22 season. The men鈥檚 program improved their record from 6-10 to 9-5 record, while the women improved from 2-15 to 6-10 under the direction of Bridel.
Prior to Point, Bridel鈥檚 longest stint was serving as the Head Men鈥檚 and Women鈥檚 Tennis Coach at NCAA D-II Lewis University from 2007-2020. Bridel鈥檚 tenure was highlighted by 11 combined NCAA Division II National Tournament appearances, including two women鈥檚 Sweet 16 appearances, and was a four-time Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) women’s coach of the year. In 2012, Bridel was named the ITA Midwest Women’s Coach of the Year. He also helped both programs and players reach an elite status on the national level while at Lewis. Prior to Lewis, Bridel was in charge of NCAA Division-I Southern Illinois University Women鈥檚 Tennis Team from 2004 to 2005.
In the early 2000s, Bridel built the College of DuPage Tennis program into a powerhouse. On the men鈥檚 side, he coached the men’s team at DuPage to back-to-back National Championships and, in 2003 and 2004, was named NJCAA Men’s National Coach of the Year and NJCAA Men’s Region IV Coach of the Year. The women’s team was the NJCAA (national) runner-up in 2004.
The Aurora, Illinois native spent much of the 1990s as an assistant coach at power five schools. He spent three seasons from 1993-1996 as the volunteer women鈥檚 assistant tennis coach at Florida (State University). From 1998-1999, he was on staff with the University of Alabama鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Tennis Team. He earned his Bachelor鈥檚 Degree in Education at the University of Alabama, graduating in 1999.
Bridel starts immediately as both programs鈥� seasons begin this September.