Columbus State University Men's Tennis

Evan Isaacs is entering his 26th year as the head men’s and women’s tennis coach at Columbus State University in 2024-25. A former Cougar player and graduate assistant coach, Isaacs is recognized as a top instructor in the game. Isaacs has transformed Columbus State tennis into one of the premier programs in the nation. The Lady Cougars have reached the NCAA Tournament 22 times with Isaacs at the helm, while the Cougars have made 19 NCAA appearances. In 2024, the men's team made it to the national semifinals for the third time in history. In 2023, the Cougars made a run to the National Championship, becoming the Runner-Up for the third time in program history. Santiago Perez was named the PBC Player of the Year and was also the ITA Southeast DII Regional Champion in singles in the fall of 2022.    Isaacs took CSU tennis to the pinnacle in 2018, as the Columbus State men captured the program’s first national championship. The Cougars rattled off 16 consecutive victories to close out the season, including a perfect 9-0 mark in postseason play.   Columbus State’s run to a national championship saw the Cougars defeat five of the top 16 teams in the country, culminating in a thrilling 5-4 victory over top-ranked Barry to take home the national title.   The Lady Cougar program made history of its own in 2018, reaching the national semifinals for the first time. They were Runner-Up in 2019 and 2021, also. Columbus State also were the 2020 ITA Men's Division II National Indoor Champions. In addition to wild success on the national stage, Columbus State tennis has become the dominant force in the Peach Belt Conference. The Cougars and Lady Cougars each swept their way to PBC regular season and tournament championships in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022 giving Isaacs 16 conference titles during his tenure.    Isaacs has coached over 50 All-Americans, over 100 All-Conference players, 11 PBC Players of the Year and seven PBC Freshmen of the Year. Isaacs owns six PBC Coach of the Year awards, including sweeping the men’s and women’s honor in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.   Following the national championship in 2018, Isaacs was named the Wilson ITA National Coach of the Year.    While the team has experienced tremendous success under Isaacs, individuals have thrived as well.   In 2013, Paola Cigui became the first CSU player, male or female, to be ranked number one in the country. KP Pannu accomplished the feat on the men’s side in 2018, while the doubles pairing of Zach Whaanga and Alvaro Regalado finished the 2018 season as the top-ranked doubles team in the nation.   Pannu saw his ranking soar to the top after becoming the first Columbus State player to capture the ITA Oracle Cup title in the fall of 2017. The following summer, Pannu played his way into the BB&T Atlanta Open, representing Columbus State on the World Tennis Association Tour.   Prior to CSU, Isaacs was a private tennis instructor working in several different areas.  From April of 1998 until his arrival in Columbus, he was the head professional at Wynlakes Golf and Country Club in Montgomery, Ala.  Prior to this, he had brief stints with Callaway Garden Resorts and Shangri-La Resort in Grove, Okla. Isaacs earned his undergraduate in Recreational Management (1995) and graduate degree in Public Administration (1997) from Columbus State.  He was a two-year member of the tennis program at CSU.  Isaacs played two seasons under legendary Coach Bal Moore at Jefferson State Community College.  They were ranked ninth in the country in 1992 and 1993 and won the Alabama State Junior College Championship. Isaacs resides in Columbus with his two daughters - Jessie, born in 2004, and Kendall, born in 2006. Year-by-Year Results  Season Overall Record PBC Record Postseason 2002 13-9 5-5 NCAA Second Round 2003 9-8 4-4 NCAA First Round 2004 17-5 8-2 NCAA Round of 16 2005 26-6 8-2 NCAA Quarterfinals 2006 19-3 8-0 NCAA Round of 16 2007 19-9 9-2 NCAA Second Round 2008 20-8 7-3 NCAA Second Round 2009 21-4 9-1 NCAA Third Round 2010 19-6 11-1 NCAA Third Round 2011 17-6 11-1 NCAA Second Round 2012 28-3 11-1 NCAA Quarterfinals 2013 22-4 12-1 NCAA Round of 16 2014 22-5 12-1 NCAA Quarterfinals 2015 23-4 12-1 NCAA Quarterfinals 2016 21-7 11-1 NCAA Round of 16 2017 25-3 12-0 NCAA Quarterfinals 2018 25-3 9-0 NCAA Semifinals 2019 26-5 9-0 NCAA Semifinals 2020 8-3 1-0 -- 2021 17-5 8-0 NCAA Semifinals 2022 20-6 6-1 NCAA Quarterfinals 2023 16-7 5-2 NCAA Quarterfinals 2024 15-8 5-1 NCAA Second Round Overall 432-120 183-28 23 appearances