MASON, Texas – After four matches were played and swept today to move both the men's and women's tennis teams to 5-0, head coach
Steve Moore joined an elite group of coaches in all of NCAA Division I tennis history by reaching and surpassing 700 career wins.
Adding to his historic mark in all of college tennis, today marked Moore's 700th career win which ranks him among the best in college tennis. Under Moore's leadership, Islanders Tennis has made 16 NCAAs and won 35 SLC Championships. The 16 NCAA tournaments at the same school rank him first all-time in Southland Conference history for all coaches and all sports. The same can also be said for being a 14-time SLC Coach of the Year.
Both the men's and women's tennis teams hold the conference records for NCAA Tournament appearances, regular season championships, and conference tournament championships – most in SLC history.
"I am blessed by God for the privilege to mentor and guide these high character, men and women over all these years!" said Moore. "The Islander Tennis culture is special! It's a family of people who outwork everyone, stick together and fight for each other! I love these kids and seeing them and the best assistant coaches in the nation every day brings joy to your heart! I'm incredibly grateful for the support we receive from our university president and athletic administration! They have been simply awesome!
"Real Leadership through character, excellence, longevity, loyalty, legacy is the leadership model here at A&M Corpus Christi and it's the right model, the character model! The model that people believe in and want to support! The model that's good for kids' lives! It's the model our university president lives out, and it motivates us to do the same! The way Islanders Tennis players and coaches stay family long after they graduate is priceless! And working side-by-side with my wonderful wife
Olga Bazhanova, the hardest working best leader I've ever known is simply a blessing from God! Go Islanders!" said Moore.
Moore's legacy at A&M-Corpus Christi began in 1998 when he left Texas Tech to become the head coach of the Islanders and did what few coaches have done - start an NCAA Division I program from scratch. Moore immediately put the Islanders on the map with a 45-17 record and 15-3 SLC mark in the first three years. He was one of the youngest NCAA Division I head coaches in the country at age 26.
After a couple stops at SMU (head coach) and Texas A&M from 2000-06, Moore returned to his beloved hometown and once again lead the Islanders team he started nearly 30 years ago and the program has only soared since.
The Islanders have now seen 16 consecutive championship seasons with Moore guiding the program, with the journey to the 17
th straight winning season off to an impeccable start as the men and women both move to 5-0 on the season after today, winning each match decisively at 7-0.
A&M-Corpus Christi Tennis
- 17 NCAA Tournaments
- 37 SLC Championships
- 4 Top-40 National Rankings
- 3.0 GPA 43 Straight Semesters
- Islanders have received a No. 3 seed at the NCAA Tournament three times
- Women's tennis has cracked the ITA top-75 national rankings three times
- Men's tennis has cracked the ITA national rankings 10 consecutive years
- Ranked nationally in NCAA DI as high as No. 35 for the men and No. 60 for the women
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