Rob Castille is the new men’s tennis head coach, athletic director Tanya Vogel announced in a release Tuesday.
Castille spent five seasons heading both the men’s and women’s programs at Saint Francis. Prior to his tenure at the fellow Division I school, he spent seven seasons as head coach of men’s tennis at Duquesne – another Atlantic 10 program – from 2005 to 2012.
The hire comes about two months after former head coach David Macpherson resigned from his position to focus on training professional players. Assistant coach Damian Farinola headed the squad through two tournaments in their fall slate as the athletic department searched for a permanent head coach.
Last season, the men’s team at Saint Francis finished 7–12 in the regular season and was bounced out of Northeast Conference postseason play in the semifinals. Saint Francis announced in August the men’s tennis program was suspended for the 2018-19 season “as a cost-saving measure.”
With Castille at the helm, the men recorded three undefeated regular seasons in the NEC, finishing 2–0 in 2015, 3–0 in 2016 and 4–0 in 2017. The team held a 30–6 record in conference play in the five years Castille coached and a 55–44 record overall.
On the women’s side, the program finished 5–11 last season and was eliminated in the NEC quarterfinals. The team advanced to at least the semifinal round in each of the last four seasons after making its debut appearance in the semifinal round in the 2013-14 season – Castille’s first year as head coach.
Securing the head coach title at GW means Castille will return to the A-10 after a six-year hiatus. He held a 91–79 overall record, including a 14–17 record in the A-10, while at the helm of the men’s tennis program at Duquesne.
“GW is a university where you can achieve excellence both on and off the court, which fits in perfectly with what is important to me and why I felt it was the right place for me,” Castille said.
Castille is the second head coach hired this year with prior A-10 experience. Swimming and diving head coach Brian Thomas spent two years as the head swimming and diving coach at St. Bonaventure before coming to GW in July.
The team has two tournaments remaining in its fall slate: the ITA regionals in Blacksburg, Va. over the weekend and the Navy Gold Invitational in Annapolis, Md. Nov. 9 to 11.
