Carnegie Mellon University Women's Tennis

Girard's 13 years as head coach of the women's tennis program at Carnegie Mellon University has been nothing short of superior. From the beginning, Girard has built the program into a national power as 11 of the past 12 seasons have seen the team reach the NCAA postseason and with the past 12 teams earning a national ranking in the top 20. Seven of the past nine seasons the team has finished in the top 10 in the country. The program has seen tremendous success at team national championships. Five of the last eight seasons the team has advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals. In 2009, the team won the ITA Division III National Team Indoor Championship while it has finished second on five consecutive occasions (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). Despite missing entry to the NCAA Championship for the first time in 11 years, the 2016 women's team was recognized with a national ranking of 12 at years end. The team also finished as the runner-up at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship for the fifth straight year. Two singles players earned the right to compete at the NCAA Championships for their first time with senior Brooke Tsu earning All-America honors alongside the doubles pair of junior Vanessa Pavia and sophomore Cori Sidell who won the USTA/ITA South Atlantic Regional Doubles title. Additionally, Tsu was named the NCAA Division III Most Improved Player by the ITA while Abbey Hamstra was recognized as the Atlantic South Arthur Ashe Jr. for Leadership and Sportsmanship honoree with freshman Jamie Vizelman earned rookie of the year for the region. Girard's 12th year saw the Tartans reach a national ranking of five and finish second at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship for the fourth consecutive year. The team returned to the NCAA Championship quarterfinals and had three players compete in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship with sophomore Vanessa Pavia, senior Bryn Raschke and freshman Cori Sidell earning All-America honors. In Girard's 11th year at the helm, the Tartans returned to the NCAA Quarterfinals and witnessed junior Angela Pratt earn All-America honors after advancing to the round of 16 at the NCAA Singles Championship. Additionally, senior Katie Cecil was named the NCAA Elite 89 winner for Division III women's tennis for the second consecutive year. With just one senior in the line-up for the 2012-13 team, the women finished second in the UAA and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Championship. Katie Cecil earned All-America honors for her play at the NCAA Singles Championship and was named the ITA National Arthur Ashe Jr. for Leadership and Sportsmanship award winner. Angela Pratt joined Cecil to compete at the NCAA Doubles Championship, making eight years a Tartan duo has represented Carnegie Mellon on the national stage under Girard. The 2011-12 team defeated nine nationally ranked opponents and finished with the programs highest ever year-end national ranking of #5. Two singles players and a doubles pair earned All-America distinction while Cze-Ja Tam was honored nationally as the Arthur Ashe Jr. Award recipient. Katie Cecil was also honored by the ITA, as the National Player to Watch. Girard closed the year earning his second ITA Atlantic South Coach of the Year honor. Also the coach of the Carnegie Mellon mens team, Girard has amassed a career victory total of 405. His teams have made the NCAA tournament a combined 18 times. They have also competed in 12 ITA Indoor National Championships, with eight top-four finishes. In regards to individual player honors, Girard has had the privilege of mentoring players that have been named All-America 54 times. During his tenure, players have qualified for the NCAA Singles Championships 24 times, and doubles teams have appeared in the NCAA Doubles Championships 12 times. Additionally, he has had players advance in singles (eight times) and doubles (eight times) to the ITA National Small College Championships, with ten top-three finishes including two ITA National Singles Championships. Girard has been named Atlantic South Coach of the Year five times, and in 2010 was named the ITA/Wilson National Mens Coach of the Year. Girard places tremendous value on academic success, and fittingly the teams have earned numerous academic honors over the last 13 seasons. The Carnegie Mellon teams have been named an ITA All-Academic Team 24 times and have had players named ITA Scholar Athletes 144 times. Girard came to Carnegie Mellon from Northern Michigan University, where he served as an assistant for their nationally ranked womens tennis team. While at NMU, the team qualified for the Division II National Championship and reached the round of 16. NMU was ranked as high as #24 in the country and #2 in the Midwest region. In addition to collegiate coaching experience, Girard has had extensive work with junior tennis development. He was in charge of the junior tennis programs in Marquette, Michigan, for twelve summers. He also spent six years as a volunteer assistant coach for the Marquette Senior High School boys tennis team, and in each of those seasons the team won the Upper Peninsula state championship. Girard played his collegiate tennis for Michigan Technological University. While at MTU, he was named to the all-conference team three times, and was named the team MVP for the 1999-2000 season, the year in which the team compiled the most victories in the programs fifty year history. Girard is among the schools all-time leaders in singles and doubles wins. A two-time Academic All-America selection, he finished with a 4.00 GPA and received a bachelors degree from MTU in biological sciences. Girard later returned and received an education degree, and spent a year at Marquette Senior High School as a teacher of both chemistry and AP chemistry. In 2015, Girard graduated from Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business with his Master's in Business Administration.