• 2007, 2010 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year
• 2005, 2007, 2010 Wilson/ITA Regional Coach of the Year
• 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 PSAC West Coach of the Year
Entering his 12th season as head coach at Cal U, Pablo Montana has built the Vulcans into one of the elite collegiate tennis programs in the nation.
Montana, the 2007 and 2010 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year, has posted a combined dual record of 228-72 overall and a 71-15 mark in PSAC play to become the winningest coach in program history. The Vulcans have earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament in 10 of the last 11 seasons, including quarterfinal appearances in six of the last seven years. Additionally, Montana has coached eight ITA All-Americans in Yumi Matsuto, Inga Chilingaryan, Helena VanEysendeyk, Jutta Bornefeld, Martina Rubesova, Franziska Steinhardt, Lucie Rey and Lucie Sipkova.
In 2008, Cal U capped one of Montana’s finest seasons with an appearance in the Round of 16, where it fell to West Florida to finish No. 9 in the ITA rankings with a 26-3 overall record. That same season, Chilingaryan and VanEysendeyk earned All-America status in doubles by finishing No. 2 in the ITA rankings with a 20-1 record. The pair also received All-America laurels in singles action with VanEysendeyk ranking No. 4.
The previous season, the Vulcans advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. For his efforts in guiding Cal U to a school-best 28-2 record and a No. 6 ranking by the ITA, Montana received Wilson/ITA National and Regional Coach of the Year accolades. Under his coaching, the Vulcans featured their first All-American doubles team in Chilingaryan and Matsuto.
Montana guided Cal U to the NCAA Tournament in his first season with the program in 2003 with a 12-9 overall record. Over the next three seasons, the Vulcans posted at least 17 victories and appeared in the NCAA Tournament twice.
In addition to the success on the court, Montana has guided the program into a premier program in the classroom. In each of the last 10 years, the Vulcans have earned ITA All-Academic honors with 39 players receiving ITA Scholar-Athlete status. Cal U has also featured a CoSIDA academic all-district selection four times in the last five years, highlighted by Steinhardt becoming the first Academic All-American in program history.
A tennis standout in college, Montana was a two-time All-American at Tennessee from 1993-96. He was a three-time All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection, earning first-team honors in both singles and doubles play in 1996. Montana and doubles partner Chris Mahony were ranked No. 4 in the country at the end of his junior year, posting 23 victories. Montana and Mahony rank second in Volunteers’ history with 75 career doubles wins.
After his collegiate career was finished, he served as a national coach with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in 1999.
In his first college coaching experience, Montana served as the assistant coach at Vanderbilt for three seasons. While with the Commodores, he helped coach Andrew Nisker, who in 2000 became the first Vanderbilt player to win an SEC Championship since 1982. During Montana’s tenure at Vanderbilt, the Commodores were ranked as high as No. 28 in 1999, the highest mark in the history of the program to that point.
A native of Miami, Montana completed his bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Regents (N.Y.) in 1998 before he earned his master’s degree from Cal U in 2004.
Montana and his wife Karen reside in Upper St. Clair, Pa., with their two children, Alexis and Silas.
MONTANA YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING RECORD
|
Year |
Overall
Record |
Win Pct. |
Conference
Record (Finish) |
NCAA Finish |
Final Rank |
|
2002-03 |
12-9 |
.571 |
4-4 (5th) |
Round of 64 |
No. 7 East Region |
|
2003-04 |
18-8 |
.692 |
3-5 (6th) |
|
No. 6 East Region |
|
2004-05 |
17-8 |
.680 |
5-3 (3rd) |
Round of 64 |
No. 7 East Region |
|
2005-06 |
17-9 |
.654 |
6-3 (2nd) |
Round of 64 |
No. 6 East Region |
|
2006-07 |
28-2 |
.933 |
10-0 (1st) |
Quarterfinals |
No. 6 ITA |
|
2007-08 |
26-3 |
.897 |
10-0 (1st) |
Round of 16 |
No. 9 ITA |
|
2008-09 |
23-3 |
.885 |
9-0 (1st) |
Quarterfinals |
No. 15 ITA |
|
2009-10 |
24-6 |
.800 |
7-0 (1st) |
Quarterfinals |
No. 10 ITA |
|
2010-11 |
22-8 |
.733 |
6-0 (1st) |
Quarterfinals |
No. 12 ITA |
|
2011-12 |
24-6 |
.800 |
8-0 (1st) |
Quarterfinals |
No. 8 ITA |
|
2012-13 |
17-10 |
.630 |
5-0 (1st) |
Quarterfinals |
No. 16 ITA |
|
TOTALS |
228-72 |
.760 |
71-15 (.826) |
|
|
