Chris Klingemann helped the Northwestern men's tennis team to one of its best seasons in recent history in his first year on staff as an assistant coach in 2012.
Under Klingemann and head coach Arvid Swan Northwestern won 14 dual matches during the regular season and another in the Big Ten Tournament against Penn State. The 'Cats collected seven wins in conference play during the regular season, their highest output since the 2001 campaign.
The 2012 season was highlighted by five victories against opponents that were ranked at the time of the match. Northwestern also defeated Middle Tennessee State on the road in February and the Blue Raiders moved into the Campbell's/ITA rankings shortly thereafter. Additionally, wins against No. 51 Alabama and No. 59 Nebraska came away from home, while triumphs over No. 36 Minnesota, No. 57 Michigan State and No. 59 New Mexico came in Evanston.
As a team, Northwestern rose steadily up the rankings list throughout the season. After winning four straight matches to open the season, Swan's squad debuted at No. 65 on January 24. When the season's final listing was released on May 29, the Wildcats checked in at No. 42, the best mark of the season.
Prior to joining the collegiate coaching ranks Klingemann starred for four years at Ohio State and played for over two years on the ATP Tour upon graduation. "Chris Klingemann was a top collegiate and professional player," said Swan.
"Chris brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team. He will immediately become one of the top assistant coaches in Division I tennis."
Klingemann, a native of Seattle, Wash., spent two-and-a-half years playing on the ATP circuit where he ranked amongst the top-six ATP professionals in Canada and amongst the top 520 players in the world. Playing doubles, Klingemann won two Futures Tournament titles and advanced to the finals of a Challenger Tournament. He has a career high doubles ranking of No. 480. Klingemann was also a singles finalist in one Futures Tournament and posted wins over four players who were each ranked in the top-200.
Prior to joining the professional tour, Klingemann spent four successful years playing at Ohio State University. There, he helped lead the Buckeyes to three straight Big Ten regular season championships from 2005-07 and a pair of Big Ten tournament crowns in 2006 and 2007. Ohio State reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament three straight times (2005-07) during Klingemann's tenure in Columbus, Ohio.
Klingemann was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2005 and on the court he earned All-Big Ten accolades in 2006 and 2007. As a senior in 2007, Klingemann was a team captain and voted the squad's most valuable player.
Since leaving the ATP tour in 2010, Klingemann has worked at the College Park Athletic Club in Deerfield, Ill. as a high level junior pro. He graduated from OSU in December 2007 with a degree in communication.
