Entering his seventh season with Stony Brook, head coach Gary Glassman, a member of the ITA regional ranking committee and chair of the Division I NCAA Men's and Women's Tennis Regional Committee, has made great strides with both the men's and women's tennis programs, transforming his teams into consistent contenders for the America East Championship every year. Glassman took over the program in 1999 and has not finished below .500 in six consecutive seasons with both the women's and men's team. In his first six seasons at Stony Brook, Glassman has posted a combined men's and women's record of 225-137, breaking the women's record for wins in a season with a 16 wins last season, tying the men's total of 15 with a 15-6 record in 2000-01 before breaking that mark in 2003-04 with a 19-3 finish. Last season, Glassman's men's squad finished second in the America East Conference for the fourth consecutive season. Senior Jan Krejci and returners Dave Kortum, Tal Mier, Mike Crooks and Jean-Francois Robitaille were all named all-conference. On the women's side, Glassman coached his team to their third consecutive America East semi-final and broke the record for number of wins for a season with 16. Rachel Kimelman and freshman Sandy Wijeratne garnered all-conference honors. In 2003-04, Glassman led his men's team to the title match of the America East Conference Championships for the second consecutive season. Three Seawolves--Philippe Amireault, Michael Crooks and Jean-Francois Robitaille--were named All-America East. His women's squad was a semifinalist at the championships, with freshman Anne Cathrine Valle garnering All-America East honors. During the Seawolves inaugural 2001-02 America East season, Glassman led both teams to the finals of the America East Championships, proving that Stony Brook University could compete among the elite teams in the conference. The rest of the league took notice of Glassman's program on the rise, naming him Women's Coach of the Year for his accomplishments. In 2000-01, the men's and women's teams combined for 28 victories, six better than the previous school record. The women won 13 matches, marking the first time the program won more than nine matches in a season. The men's 15 dual match wins tied the school record set by the 1996-97 team that went to the NCAA Regional. Glassman's first season with Stony Brook in 1999-2000 saw him successfully transition both programs to the Division I level. Glassman brought the women's team to a 9-4 record - a complete turnaround from the team's 5-7 mark in 1998-99. He also kept the success of the men's program on track, leading the Seawolves to an 8-8 record following their 7-7 record and an NECC championship in 1998-99, the program's third straight. Glassman stresses excellence in the classroom as well as on the court, demonstrated by the continuous recognition his teams receive for academic excellence. Both squads earned ITA All-Academic Team honors in 2001-02, with Martha Barrett and Deanna Ghozati receiving individual accolades as part of the ITA Scholar-Athlete Team. Following the 2002-03 season, senior Gareth Williams was honored with an ECAC Merit Award, which recognizes student-athletes who combine excellence on the fields of competition with excellence in the classroom. Glassman knows this year's teams have the talent and determination to bring the Stony Brook program to the top of the America East Conference. His coaching style allows him to get the most out of his players by adjusting to the different personalities of his highly foreign-influenced teams. This season 10 of his 14 players are foreign born, including players from Russia, Norway, England, Denmark, Israel, Canada, Australia and Ecuador. His commitment to recruiting far and wide makes for a diverse roster of players that can draw from their various international experiences to learn from one another on and off the court. In order to unify this conglomeration of talents, Glassman utilizes coaching strategies that allow each individual to focus on the single goal of bringing the team to a championship. Glassman has brought a winning attitude and tradition to the Seawolves program, seeing the results of hard work in practice and conditioning pay off on the court with victories. In the coming years coach Glassman is committed to bringing in more local, homegrown talent, in addition to an aggressive international recruiting strategy, to enhance the squad and solidify Stony Brook tennis as a top contender for the America East title every season. Prior to joining the Stony Brook program, Glassman enjoyed extensive success at every stop in his coaching career. In 1999, he guided the men's program at Division III Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, N.Y., to a regional ranking and a runner-up finish in the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association. The Red Hawks went 10-5 and Glassman was awarded Conference Coach of the Year honors. Previous to his coaching tenure at RPI, Glassman coached the Northeast Louisiana University women's tennis program to two straight Southland Conference championships in 1996-97, earning conference Coach of the Year honors in 1997. In 1996, he was selected the Louisiana Sportswriters Coach of the Year. NE Louisiana did not lose a conference match during Glassman's two year reign, posting a 16-0 record and obtaining a national ranking during both seasons he was at the helm of the Division I program. Coaching women's tennis at Georgia Southern University from 1992-95, Glassman turned the program around and cracked the national ranks of Division I. He improved a Lady Eagles squad that went 11-22 during his first two seasons with the program to a 25-9 mark over his last two years, including a 12-2 record in Southern Conference play. Glassman's finest season at GSU came in 1995, as the team won the regular season and tournament crowns, going 7-0 in conference play and 14-3 overall. He earned Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors for his efforts, tallying the most wins for the program since 1982. A Dean's List student and outstanding athlete at Oneonta State University, Glassman was voted team captain and most valuable player during his junior and senior seasons and still ranks among the program's top 10 in total wins. He earned his bachelor's degree in
political science in 1989 and took the varsity coaching position at the College of St. Rose for the men's and women's tennis programs upon graduation. He earned his
master's degree in
sports management in 1991 from Georgia Southern University, taking the coaching position there a year later.
