The Stony Brook Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams are led by Head Coach Gary Glassman. In his six years with the Seawolves, Glassman has set a number of records for team wins, including the most wins in a season for the women’s team with a 16-8 record. He has an overall combined men’s and women’s record of 225-137 for the past six seasons and has never had a sub-.500 season since arriving at Stony Brook. He also led the men’s team to a 19-3 finish in the 2003-04 season.
In 1999, Glassman’s first year as head coach, he oversaw the transition to competing as a Division I program. In that year, he was able to turn the women’s team around. They finished with a season record of 9-4; an immense improvement over the previous year’s 5-7 record.
Two years later, the Seawolves became a part of the American East Conference. That year, both the men’s and women’s side made it to the finals of the title run, proving that they were ready to compete at the highest levels of the conference. For his success in leading his team to new heights, Glassman was named Women’s Coach of the Year by the league. The team also posted a combined total of 28 wins, besting the previous school record by six victories.
The 2003-04 season saw the men’s team reach new heights of the their continued success when five members were named All-America East, including Egil Anonsen, who set the school record for career singles wins at 71 and won Athlete of the Year awards for his success. They finished the season with a 19-3 record and achieved its first national ranking, at number 70, on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) list.
The women’s team has continued their competitive rise since the beginning of Glassman’s tenure with three consecutive seasons putting them in the American East semi-finals.
For the men’s side, their success has only increased from there. Last season saw them take the first American East title in the program’s history and took them into their first appearance in the NCAA tournament. They finished the season ranked at number 14 in the ITA Northeast Region poll, the third consecutive year they were placed in the top 15.
But the Seawolves don’t just enjoy success on the court; Glassman stresses the importance of academic success as well. Both teams were named ITA All-Academic teams in 2006, with a combined GPA of at least 3.20. Victoria Vovsha was also named an ITA Scholar Athlete, with a GPA above 3.50. The team’s immense diversity allows each player to bring something different to what is a very united group. While there is a mix of different cultures and faces among the local talent and internationally recruited players, they all have one goal in mind: a team championship.
