Tom Rees is leaving Lenoir-Rhyne University after three seasons, resigning on Thursday. He brought marked improvement in the Bears’ tennis program as head coach of both the men’s and women’s teams./LRU PHOTO
HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY – Matt Frost, an assistant tennis coach last season at Lenoir-Rhyne University, will serve as interim head coach for both Bears teams after the resignation of head coach Tom Rees.
LRU athletic officials announced Rees’ departure in a press release on Thursday.
Kansas State University announced later Thursday it has hired Rees as an assistant (coachhttps://www.kstatesports.com/index.aspx?path=wten)
FROST
Frost is a former Drake University tennis player who was a hitting partner and travel coach for Simona Halep and Novak Djokovic. He worked with multiple International Tennis Federation (ITF) juniors, played on the ITF Professional Tour, and he spent one year as full-time assistant at Drake.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to be the head tennis coach at Lenoir-Rhyne for the past three years,” Rees said in the press release. “I will be forever grateful to our players and support staff for all their hard work in building the programs into what they are now, it’s been an incredible journey.
“Lenoir-Rhyne and the Hickory community will always have a special place in my heart and I know the future is very bright for the Bears.”
Last season, both the men’s and women’s tennis programs finished in the top four in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) standings for the first time in history.
The LRU men tied for second and ranked 21st in the nation. Rees led the men in a historic upset of No. 5 Wingate, the first win over a top 10 team in program history.
Also, both LRU teams made the SAC tournament semifinals.
Before Rees arrived, LRU had 12 wins during the 2015-16 season. Last year’s teams combined for 36 wins.
“Tom has done an unbelievable job developing the tennis programs into conference contenders,” LRU Athletic Director Kim Pate said in the release. “I knew Tom would do great things at LR and it was only a matter of time before a Division I opportunity came his way.
“We are excited for him and extend our appreciation for all he has done for the programs, the department, and providing our student-athletes a great experience.
“He elevated our tennis programs to new levels during his three years and had some memorable victories along the way.”
— Reported by LRU Sports Information