Tobin Announced as Next Head Coach Of Men's and Women's Tennis Teams

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- Juniata College is thrilled to announce the hiring of Paul Tobin as the head coach of the men's and women's tennis programs. Tobin becomes the 16th coach in men's program history and the 17th coach in women's program history, 

"I am very excited to welcome Paul to the Juniata community," said Director of Athletics Nikki Ayers. "He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the tennis realm to our programs. His emphasis on athlete support and development will be a great asset to our athletes and I am looking forward to seeing our tennis teams build upon past successes this year!" 

Tobin comes to Juniata College from Penn State University, where as the Associate Head Coach for Men's Tennis he spent the past 11 seasons with the Nittany Lions. During Tobin's tenure at Penn Staff, the Nittany Lions reached historic records and rankings for the first time in program history. Under Tobin's guidance, Penn State achieved an unprecedented 111-63 record and reached a high of No. 16 ITA ranking. In his twenty year span in college coaching, including 4 seasons as a Head Coach, Tobin has racked up 379 match career wins. 

Coach Tobin's Accomplishments at Penn State

·      Awarded ITA Atlantic Region Assistant Coach of the year for 2016.

·      Made 3 NCAA appearances reaching the 2nd round of NCAA Tournament in 2014, 2016 and 2019

·      Highest ITA D1 Ranking: #16, #23, #21, #29, #30, #34, #41 and #44

·      Biggest upsets over: #16 Illinois, #28 Northwestern, #15 Kentucky, #20 South Florida, # Princeton, #31 Michigan, #15 Illinois, #25 Columbia, #31 Minnesota, #16 Michigan and #32 Minnesota.

·      Achieved #46 BIG TEN conference wins

·      Achieved #41 wins over ranked teams

·      Achieved highest ITA singles rankings of #23, #25, #29, #32, #45, #52, #80, #88, #91, #99, 101

·      Achieved highest ITA doubles rankings of #1, #18, #19, #29, #30, #55, #56, #60, and #66

·      Recruited 21 top #125 ITF World juniors, 14 top #1200 ATP players, and 26 FIVE STAR USTA junior players.

·      Achieved #62 Academic ALL-BIG TEN athletes

·      Set record for most duel match wins in a season (22) in 2014 and 2016.

·      Qualified for ITA National Indoor Team Championships sweet 16 in 2015.

·      Ranked top 10 recruiting class by TRN in 2016-17 

 "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work in an environment that reignites my passion for coaching," said Tobin. " I want to express my gratitude to Athletic Director Nikki Ayers and her dedicated team for their warm reception and for making me feel at home. It's truly refreshing to be in a place where people genuinely care, both on and off the court." 

Prior to Penn State, Tobin successfully turned around the Division I Saint Francis University Men's and Women's programs into top teams in the Northeast Conference. In less than four seasons with the Red Flash, Coach Tobin compiled 76 match wins and over 798 individual wins in singles and doubles. During his stay at Saint Francis, Tobin led both squads to three quarterfinal and two semifinal Northeast Conference appearances, the highest in school history. Both programs grew in rankings from 7th and 8th in the conference, when Tobin first started, to No. 3 by the end of his term. In less than four seasons, Tobin successfully recruited over 17 US and international student athletes representing top rankings in the US and abroad.

Before Saint Francis, Tobin was the assistant coach for the 9th ranked men's and 19th ranked women's tennis teams at Division II Georgia College & State University. During his three seasons there, Coach Tobin helped the men's team compile a 51-18 record while the women went 42-19. The Bobcats made NCAA Regional appearances in 2009, 2010 and 2011, winning the Peach Belt Conference in 2009. Both programs qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and 2010, advancing to the quarterfinals and semifinals in both years. In 2009, Tobin helped lead the men's squad to an 18-4 overall record with a perfect 7-0 mark in conference play for the first PBC Men's Tennis Championship in school history.

From 2005-2010, Tobin served as the Tennis Director and Head Professional for the City of Macon, Georgia, JDS Tennis Center - one of the largest public facilities in the south. Tobin coached privately some of the best junior players in the south, with many going on to play high level collegiate tennis. His junior academy attracted many of the top players in South Georgia. Tobin organized many regional and local USTA tournaments, many of which were gateways to national tournaments. In addition, Tobin has had coaching assignments at Port Washington Tennis Academy, Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, IMG Bollettieri, Roslyn Racquet Club, Syosset Tennis Academy, Weston Tennis Center, Canongate Country Club, City of Fort Lauderdale, Holiday Park, Delray Beach Tennis Center and Gerulaitis Tennis Academy. Coach Tobin has also worked with University of Georgia Head Coach Manny Diaz and ATP tour player John Isner, as their director of on-court drilling for their summer tennis programs. Tobin also spent time as a travelling professional for Tennis Europe, a program designed to train junior tennis teams traveling throughout Europe competing in ITF tournaments.

Tobin holds the highest levels of certification, receiving an Elite rating from USPTA, Professional rating from PTR and is one of only 155 USTA High Performance Coaches in the United States. He also holds a Level 3 Certification from the International Tennis Federation. In 2011, Tobin was named the Northeast Representatives for the ITA Operating Committee. The operating committee works with the NCAA and USTA helping to oversee and regulate tennis policies for Division I men's and women's tennis. 

In addition to his accomplishments in coaching, Tobin is also the developer and president of SlingHopper Drill Bags - a worldwide tennis-teaching product endorsed by legendary coaches Nick Bollettieri and Brad Gilbert, who serve as the company's spokespersons. 

As a junior, Tobin was one of the top-ranked players on both the East Coast and nationally, reaching as high as #9 in the U.S. Junior rankings. Tobin also competed on the ATP Tour and in the prestigious German Bundesliga, the highest level of the German Tennis League system. He honed his skills at the world-renowned Port Washington Tennis Academy and Harry Hopman's in Bardmoor, FL. As a collegiate player, Tobin competed at the Division I level for the University of Maryland in College Park.

A Long Island, N.Y. native, Tobin received his bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland and a Master's degree in Athletic Administration from Concordia University. He currently resides in State College, PA, with his fiancée Julie Engle. He has three children, Alea, Zachary, and William. His two oldest, Alea and Zachary, graduated from Penn State, while his youngest, William, is a freshman.