Aquinas head men's and women's tennis coach Jordan O'Neill has resigned from his dual coaching positions, announced by the AQ athletic department on Friday (Oct. 29). An Aquinas alum and former player for the Saints, O'Neill spent more than eight seasons on the sidelines with the women's team and coached the AQ men during the last three-plus years.
The 2019 WHAC Coach of the Year, O'Neill steps down from his coaching role to pursue other career opportunities and spend more time with his family. He is a 2009 Aquinas graduate and enjoyed a successful playing career before returning to his alma mater to serve as a coach for the Saints women.
"I want to thank Nick Davidson and the administration for giving me the opportunity to coach tennis here at Aquinas all these years," explained O'Neill. "I also would like to thank my assistant coach Steve Rose and all my players past and present, it has been a privilege to be your coach. I have enjoyed all the years I have been at Aquinas as a student and as a coach. I will always appreciate the relationships I have made during my time at Aquinas."
After winning more than 100 matches in his playing career – he played #1 singles and #1 doubles for AQ during his junior and senior seasons – O'Neill began his stint on the sidelines prior to the 2011-12 as co-coach for the women's team with Steve Greene. The Saints went 25-20 during his first two years and O'Neill took over as the lone head coach before the 2015-16 campaign.
Aquinas posted three winning seasons over the next six years, including a 14-4 mark in 2018. The Saints finished 13-7 in 2019 and advanced to the WHAC Tournament Championship match, falling to top-ranked UNOH by a tight 5-3 score. O'Neill was named the league's top coach after the strong showing during the 2019 season. He finished his eight years as co-coach or head coach of the AQ women's program with an overall record of 82-73, which included five winning seasons.
"I want to thank Jordan for all he has done for the Aquinas College tennis program over the years," said Logan Weis, associate athletic director for internal operations. "First, as a player, where he had an outstanding career competing for the #1 singles and #1 doubles teams, winning 100 matches in his career. He had a phenomenal career and was able to translate into coaching pretty seamlessly. As a coach, we thank him for the countless hours he put into overseeing both programs, including recruiting, organizing practices for both teams, and the long road trips to away matches. We appreciate Jordan and wish him the best on his new endeavors."
After longtime men's head coach Jerry Hendrick – who coached O'Neill during his playing days – retired in 2018, O'Neill also took over that program, coaching both AQ teams for three-plus seasons. He led the Saints men to a 12-33 mark since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
Aquinas will immediately begin a national search for a new head coach to lead the Saints' tennis programs.
