Allegheny head coach Jared Luteran enters his seventh season at the college and has taken the Gator tennis program to new heights over the past decade.
In 2006-07, Luteran was named the NCAC men’s co-coach of the year after the Gators finished third in the conference postseason tournament, the squad’s highest finish since 1995. Luteran became the first tennis coach in the history of Allegheny College to receive such an award.
The 2008 season was the most successful season for both men and women in several years. The men upset Wabash in the NCAC Tournament for another third-place finish and accumulated 15 wins, their highest win total since 2001. The women more than doubled their win total from 2007, increasing from six wins to 14 wins — their highest total since 2000. The Gators upset several NCAC teams en route to a third-place regular season finish and a fourth-place final standing in the tournament. Both teams placed three players on the All-NCAC team, one of Allegheny’s most NCAC-honored squad. Also, the men’s team placed four players on the ITA Scholar Athlete list.
Last season, the women finished fourth in the NCAC Tournament and placed three on the All-Conference squad. The men fell in the quarterfinals of the conference championships and had two players earn All-NCAC honors.
Luteran wasted no time in making an impact at the college. In his first season as the Gator head coach in 2002, Luteran led the men’s team to 11 wins and an improbable upset of top-seed Denison University in the opening round of the NCAC Tournament—the first time in the conference’s history a No. 4 seed beat a No. 1. Allegheny wound up fourth in the league that season, followed by a fifth-place finish in 2005, a fourth-place finish in 2006, and a 3rd place finish in 2007.
Luteran’s squads get the job done in the classroom as well, earning academic honors from the ITA with 12 individuals (eleven men and five women) being named Scholar-Athletes over the past three years. Additionally, Allegheny’s entire women’s team was declared an All-Academic Team by the ITA in 2006.
A certified teaching professional for over 16 years, Luteran served as the head men’s tennis coach for four seasons at his alma mater, West Virginia Wesleyan College. In his first season with the Bobcats, he led the team to the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title for the first time in 19 years. Overall, he guided the squad to a record of 40-15, including two undefeated seasons and a top-40 ranking in NCAA Division II. Luteran was twice honored as the coach of the year in WVIAC and he led Wesleyan to the national tourney for the first time in school history.
He also coached the women’s tennis team at WVWC for one year, leading the Bobcats to an 11-5 mark and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
Luteran, who graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan in 1998 with a degree in public relations, won three conference titles with the Bobcat tennis team, two in doubles and one as a singles player. He also served as the team captain as a senior.
In addition, he has served on the NCAA and ITA National Ranking committees, as well as leading physical education and outdoor adventure classes. He has also helped the men’s and women’s squads rack up nearly 1,500 hours of community service over the past five years.
Luteran currently resides in Meadville with his wife Emily, who is also an assistant with the Gator tennis teams, and their son Lucas.
