Brian Jackson
Brian Jackson enters his first season as Pacific’s director of tennis, assuming head coaching duties for both of the men’s and women’s tennis programs.
Jackson enters his sixth season as head men’s tennis coach and his first year leading the women’s program. He replaces Sarah Ansboury as head women’s coach after Ansboury left the program in May 2012.
In his five years at the helm of the Pacific men’s program, Jackson has built the Boxers into a model of success. During the 2012 campaign, the Boxers finished with a 13-6 regular season and a 12-1 Northwest Conference regular season mark. The team finished second in the Northwest Conference standings and a No. 11 NCAA Division III West Region ranking. The team also finished with an unprecedented four All-NWC selections, led by two-time First Team All-NWC honoree Troy Zuroske.
The successes of 2012 capped a complete turnaround of the program. In Jackson’s first season, the Pacific men won just one match and finished ninth in the NWC standings. In the last two years, the Boxers have won no less than eight matches, finished with winning conference records and made the four-team Northwest Conference Tournament each year. In 2012, their one loss came to the eventual NWC champion.
Jackson believes that the approach by which he built the men’s program will yield dividends with the women as well. “Over the last few years, the men’s program has developed a strong recipe for success while the women’s program has struggled to find a consistent winning formula,” Jackson said. “My goal is to develop a successful tennis program at Pacific University, rather than two individual teams. My assistant coaches and I will provide the women’s program with the time and attention it deserves to reach its potential, while assuring the men’s program continues on it’s charge towards a conference title.
“Our long-term goal is to have the best tennis program in the Northwest Conference, with both teams competing for conference titles every year. With the great support we are receiving from the University and community, I believe we have the potential to do just that.”
While adding his new duties, Jackson will continue to work as an associate professor in Pacific’s exercise science department, but with a reduced teaching load.
Jackson brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to the Pacific tennis programs. Jackson played four years of Division I tennis at UNC Wilmington. He was the team captain in 1997 and was selected that year as the team’s most valuable player.
Upon graduation, Jackson spent two years as an assistant men’s and women’s tennis coach at East Carolina while pursuing his master’s degree. He has also coached for the Atlantic Coast Athletic Club in Charlottesville, Va., and has served as a visiting professional at both the Wintergreen Resort in Wintergreen, Va., and the Skagen Tennis Club in Denmark. Jackson holds professional teaching certification through the U.S. Professional Tennis Association (USPTA).
Jackson earned his undergraduate degree from UNC Wilmington in 1997. He graduated with a master’s degree in exercise and sports sciences from East Carolina in 1999 and received his Ph.D. in kinesiology, with an emphasis in motor learning and sports psychology, from Virginia in 2004 with an emphasis in motor learning. He has published on various aspects of motor behavior and has consulted with both individual athletes and teams in the areas of peak performance.
