Lions Men's Tennis Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Jason
Hayes
Southeastern head men’s and women’s tennis coach
Jason Hayes is in his fifth season at the helm of the Lions’ and Lady Lions’
tennis programs. During his tenure, both programs have improved vastly and
have continued to move forward in a positive direction.
His work with the women’s team has been the most impressive. After the team
finished 2-19 in his first season, Hayes has guided the team to three consecutive
double-digit win seasons. In 2003, the team improved to 14-8 and barely
missed the postseason tournament. The Lady Lions would only have to wait
one more season to head back to the postseason, as in 2004, the Lady Lions
returned to the SLC Tournament for the first time since 2001. Southeastern’s
rapid ascent continued in 2005, as the team finished second in the regular-season
standings and earned its first ever NCAA Tournament berth by winning the
SLC Tournament.
After posting a 6-16 record in Hayes’ first season, the men’s team has put
together three consecutive winning seasons. In 2003, the Lions finished
second in the SLC, their highest finish in school history. In 2004, Hayes’
squad was 11-9 and went into the final match of the season with a shot at
the SLC regular-season crown. In 2005, Southeastern finished with a 16-10
overall record and advanced to the SLC semifinals for the third straight
season.
Both the men’s and women’s teams have also excelled in the classroom, as
both teams have featured several SLC All-Academic performers.
Prior to his stint at Southeastern, Hayes was a successful coach in the
Division II collegiate ranks. Hayes served as the head men’s and women’s
tennis coach for Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas for four
seasons, posting a 103-41 record and twice being named the Heart of Texas
Conference Coach of the Year. During his tenure at Wesleyan, the Rams earned
national rankings and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Tennis Championships
in 1998.
His teams also excelled in the classroom at Wesleyan with at least one of
his two programs achieving the highest cumulative grade point average for
all athletic teams at the University. During his tenure with the Rams, Hayes
guided 11 Academic All-Americans.
Prior to that, he held the assistant men’s and women’s tennis coach position
at his alma mater, Cumberland (Tenn.) University. Hayes was also a traveling
coach for Tennis Europe during the summer of 1998. In the summer of 2001,
he served as an instructor at the Manuel Diaz Tennis Camp and the Jeff Wallace
Tennis Camp, both held at the University of Georgia.
A native of Paris, Ky., Hayes graduated from Cumberland in 1996, where he
earned a degree in Physical Education. He was an all-conference player at
Cumberland, reaching the conference finals and receiving the team MVP Award
during his senior season.
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