Nick Dargene
Nick Dargene begins his first year as an assistant coach of the Arizona women's tennis program after spending four successful years at the Air Force Academy.
"Nick is a solid addition to Wildcat Athletics," Arizona head coach Vicky Maes said. "He has great knowledge of the sport and a lot of experience working in D1 college tennis. His passion for coaching is apparent to everyone on the team. He cares about the players beyond the court which fits into my philosophy of developing well-rounded individuals. Already he has taken the initiative to add new ideas to our program and I value his input tremendously."
The program at Air Force thrived under Dargene. After recording just six victories in the season prior to his arrival, the Falcons won 59 contests in his four seasons. In 2012, Air Force broke a school record after finishing fifth in the MWC. In addition, the Falcons broke another school record after posting three-consecutive 16+ win seasons.
In 2011, Dargene was named the Mountain Region Assistant Coach of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Dargene also taught physical education in various sports at Air Force and earned two teaching honors in the process.
Before joining the Falcon coaching staff, Dargene spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the women's tennis team at the University of Wyoming. In his second season, he led the Cowgirls to the best win/loss record and best MWC record in the program's history.
Prior to working at Wyoming, he spent three years as a volunteer assistant tennis coach and administrative intern at his alma mater, the University of Iowa. He led the Hawkeyes to three-consecutive NCAA appearances and achieved yet another school record with their 18-6 regular season and 9-1 Big 10 finish.
During that time, he served as the head tennis professional and program coordinator at the University Athletic Club (June 2004-June 2006), while providing tennis lessons for the University of Iowa's Recreation Services Department (June 2002-June 2006). His responsibilities included all aspects of tennis management at the club which entailed private lessons, junior programs, adult clinics and leagues.
Dargene began his collegiate career as a student-athlete at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey. He compiled winning records at the Nos. 2 and 3 singles positions and the Nos. 1 and 2 doubles spots. He was also honored as the NEC Athlete of the Week and received the Most Improved Athlete Award given by his team during his sophomore season.
An avid tennis player, he started taking lessons at the age of five and began playing in junior tournaments when he was 12. Throughout his juniors career, he was a highly-ranked USTA player in the Northern Illinois District, including being ranked number one in the USTA boys 18 and under in 1998. In high school, Dargene was a three-time state qualifier earning all-conference honors twice and all-state once. During that time, he was named the team MVP as a junior and senior, while being named a team captain.
Dargene earned a bachelor's of business administration in marketing with a minor in political science from the University of Iowa in 2003. He completed his master's in sports and health studies from Iowa in December of 2006. He is a USPTA certified teaching professional and a USRSA certified racquet techinician.
