Aquinas College is excited to announce the re-hiring of
Jerry Hendrick as the school's men's and women's interim tennis head coach, announced by AQ on Tuesday (Jan. 25). Hendrick, who coached from 1992-2018, will return to Aquinas on an interim basis for the spring semester. In his previous 27 years as the men's head coach at AQ, Hendrick amassed a 503-161 record (.758 winning percentage).
Hendrick will return to Aquinas and serve as the interim head coach after former AQ head coach
Jordan O'Neill resigned last semester to pursue other career opportunities and spend more time with his family.
"I am honored and excited to be given the opportunity to bridge this temporary gap at Aquinas College and help lead our men's and women's tennis teams through the coming season," said coach Hendrick. "I'm looking forward to getting to know our players and seeing what we can accomplish together through commitment, dedication and hard work."
In 2014, Hendrick was inducted into the Aquinas College Athletic Hall of Fame. His men's tennis teams won the NAIA Great Lakes Regional Title 12 times and qualified for the NAIA National Championship tournament 16 times.
"We are thrilled to have Jerry back this semester. It is unique to have a Hall of Fame coach come back to help coach a new wave of athletes," said
Logan Weis, Associate Athletic Director of Internal Operations. "We are incredibly thankful for Jerry and Steve during this transition period. We believe that they will both lead the men's and women's tennis programs to a successful spring semester."
In his previous stint at AQ, Hendrick coached nearly 30 Saints players to the 100-win mark during their careers. Aquinas captured the WHAC Championship 17 times out of his 27 years, while he also was named WHAC Coach of the Year numerous times.
Coach Hendrick also stated, "I am also looking forward to being back on the court with my close friend/assistant coach
Steve Rose, and my daughter Ashley Bentzen, who will be serving as a volunteer assistant. Aquinas is a great school with not only a wonderful history, but also a future filled with promise and opportunity. I feel truly privileged to be a part of it once again."
The Aquinas tennis teams will unveil its schedules' for the spring season here in the coming weeks.
