Black Joins Gorlok Staff as Tennis Head Coach
Webster University Director of Athletics Scott Kilgallon announced the hiring of longtime Grand Valley State coach John Black on Wednesday as the school's new head men's and women's tennis coach.
"We are beyond excited to bring someone with John's background and experience onboard as our men's and women's tennis coach," said Kilgallon. "His unprecedented success as a tennis coach during his 18 years at Grand Valley State is something that will bring new insights to our program and help take our tennis program's to new heights."
Black, who is the 16th head coach in the history of the Webster men's tennis program and 15th women's coach in school history, brings a wealth of head coaching knowledge to the Gorloks. He takes the place of current men's coach Mike Siener and women's interim head coach Carl Walker at the helm of both of Webster's tennis programs. Siener will remain at Webster as the men's soccer head coach, while Walker will stay on with the tennis program as an assistant coach.
"I would like to give my thanks to Scott Kilgallon, Amy O'Brien, Mike Siener and all the other members of the Gorlok athletic department who welcomed me to their family," Black said. "I am extremely excited to start working with the men's and women's teams. My goals are to create a group of hard-working student-athletes who completely buy into team culture and to help each of them reach their potential both as young adults and as student-athletes.
"I am thrilled to get the opportunity to work with the outstanding athletic staff and feel blessed that Webster University is my new home."
Black, who will officially begin his duties with the Gorloks on Feb. 6, comes to Webster University after spending 18 years as the men's and women's tennis coach at Grand Valley State University, which is an NCAA Division II powerhouse located in Allendale, Mich. In his time with the Lakers, Black led the school to a combined 641-287 overall record as the women's team posted a 379-121 record and the men went 262-166 under Black's watch.
In his time with GVSU, he was named an ITA Regional Coach of the Year three times, a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Coach of the Year three times and the ITA National Coach of the Year in 2007-08. He led the Laker women to 17 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, while the Laker men made 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. In addition, his GVSU women's teams made three appearances in the NCAA Division II Championship final 16 in 2010, 2011 and 2019.
Black's 2011 women's team at Grand Valley State went undefeated in the regular season and ended the season in the NCAA Sweet 16 with a final record of 31-1.
During his time at Grand Valley, Black coached 49 players that were selected as ITA Scholar-Athlete Award recipients (30 women, 19 men) and also had 48 male student-athletes and 62 female student-athletes named GLIAC All-Conference selections.
Kilgallon says that he is impressed with Black's emphasis on academic success and sportsmanship during his time at Grand Valley State.
"Along with Coach Black's coaching success, I am pleased with the value he places on academic success and sportsmanship and that aligns well with our athletic department's core beliefs and culture," Killgallon added.
In his final season at Grand Valley State in 2018-19, the Laker women posted a 23-5 record, won the GLIAC regular-season championship, placed third in the GLIAC Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, where the Lakers fell to Lynn University. Lynn would go on to finish as the national runners-up in 2019, while the Laker men went 16-9 overall and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Along with his coaching successes, Black also has served on numerous tennis committees with the ITA and the NCAA. He was a member of the NCAA Division II National Tennis Committee from 2009-14 and also served on the ITA Midwest Ranking Committee from 2007-19 and was the chair of the ITA Midwest Awards Committee from 2012-19.
In addition to his coaching duties at Grand Valley State, Black also served as Tennis Professional and Director of Tournaments at Premier Athletic and Tennis Club in Grandville, Mich.
Originally from Bordentown, N.J., Black, who is a certified USPTA Professional, coached the girls' varsity tennis team at Northern Burlington County Regional High School in 1999 and led the school to a 14-7 record and earned the Burlington County Girls Tennis Coach of the Year. The next year, he coached the boys' team to an 18-5 record.
He began his collegiate playing career at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, N.J. In his time at Mercer County, he was named a First-Team All-Region selection in 1993 and participated in the NJCAA National Championships in 1993. Following his two years at Mercer County, Black transferred to The College of New Jersey and played there from 1993-95. He was named a First-Team All-Conference honoree during his final two seasons at TCNJ and posted a 42-3 singles record and combined for an overall record of 67-7.
Black received his Associate's degree in Humanities and Social Sciences from Mercer County Community College in 1993 and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from The College of New Jersey in 1997.
STORY COURTESY OF WEBSTER UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
