Dustin Taylor Promoted to Associate Head Coach
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Aug. 3, 2016
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia men’s tennis assistant coach Dustin Taylor has been promoted to associate head coach, head coach Brian Boland announced on Wednesday (August 3).
“Dustin Taylor is without question one of the best and brightest coaches in the world,” Boland said. “He not only understands the game at the highest level, but his ability to adapt and adjust to each players needs with the proper timing, tone and words is special. He is deeply passionate about the sport and spends countless hours on and off court working with players, studying film, talking about the game, listening, asking questions and doing everything possible to master his craft. He is a natural-born coach and I admire and appreciate what he has done for the UVA Men’s Tennis Program. Our success over the past two years since his arrival speaks for itself and Dustin and his family are completely committed to being Virginia Cavaliers for many years to come. I believe Dustin and I work well together gathering facts, listening to one another and finally making sound decisions on everything that makes our program successful. He is a respected colleague and a great friend.”
In Taylor’s two seasons at Virginia, UVA has won back-to-back NCAA Championships, just the second team in the modern era to win consecutive NCAA titles, with a combined 59-7 record (.894 winning percentage). Since Taylor joined the program, Cavaliers have earned eight All-America designations and 10 All-ACC honors. This season, the Cavaliers ended the year with six ranked singles players, including placing two in the top-10 of the rankings for most of the season, and three ranked doubles teams. Taylor also guided Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Charlotte, N.C.) during the 2015 ITA All-American Championships when the junior became the first place since 2009 to win both the singles and doubles titles in the same year.
“I want to sincerely thank Brian Boland, Executive Associate Athletic Director Jon Oliver and Director of Athletics Craig Littlepage for their continued support and belief in me while providing me this amazing opportunity to represent the University of Virginia,” Taylor said. “I would especially like to thank Coach Boland, who has taught me what it truly takes to be successful at the highest of levels and the opportunity we have as coaches to impact these young men on a daily basis. What Coach Boland has built here over his 15 years is something truly special and I couldn’t ask for a better mentor and leader to learn from and work alongside. To see the growth of the student-athletes this program has provided over the years, both on and off the court, is truly remarkable, and to be a part of it is an absolute privilege and honor. I would also like to thank our student-athletes, they make this opportunity so special on a daily basis with their continued dedication on and off the court, along with their selflessness towards each other and the program. They make this one of the most rewarding jobs any coach could ask for and I am extremely grateful to represent them.”
Taylor joined the Virginia men’s tennis coaching staff in August of 2014 after spending the previous four years at the United States Tennis Association, including two years serving as the USTA Player Development national coach for collegiate tennis. Taylor became the first USTA national coach devoted to collegiate tennis in 2013, a role devoted to facilitating the development of top collegiate players into the top 100 of the ATP and WTA rankings. Taylor was also in charge of the USTA Collegiate National Team, which assists top collegiate stars in their transition to playing on the ATP and WTA Tours. His first three years as a USTA national coach involved coaching and training future American stars working at the USTA training center in Boca Raton, Fla. Prior to joining the USTA, Taylor was a professional coach for several top 100 players, including Ryan Sweeting, Robert Kendrick and Tim Smyczek.
“Dustin’s experiences with players of all ages and skill levels is unique in that he understands how difficult tennis is to develop from a beginner to a high level professional,” Boland said. “There are few coaches his age that love every aspect of the game and he has personally experienced each stage both as a player and a coach. He has tremendous respect for our sport and the daily challenges that are part of being a great player or coach. He was a great player in his own right as an All-American at the University of Tulsa during his college years. He loves all levels of tennis but his heart is in collegiate tennis. He loves the college game and the opportunity we have to not only make young men the best tennis players they can be, but more importantly to mentor them into becoming highly-productive and successful leaders in their lives, professions and, most importantly, their families. He believes in UVA and the culture that exists within our program to provide these young men an experience that is truly special and in his opinion the best our sports has to offer.
“Not a day goes by where I do not admire the way Dustin is an example for our players in how he lives his life. He loves working with our players, but more than anything he is an amazing father to three young daughters and an incredible husband to his lovely wife Jennie. Each day, my players have an opportunity to witness Dustin conduct himself with the utmost character, professionalism, humility, discipline, grace and a deep love for the players and people in his life. I am blessed to work along side one of the great coaches of our time, and, more importantly, an even-better person.”