SUNY University at Buffalo Men's Tennis

Nickell enters his seventh season as the head coach of the University at Buffalo men's tennis team in 2015-16, after guiding the Bulls to their first Mid-American Conference championship title in program history. Nickell's Bulls finished the 2014-15 season ranked 10th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Northeast Region Poll after playing their toughest schedule to date. In April, UB won the 2015 MAC Tournament. It claimed the title as the fourth seed knocking off top-seeded host Northern Illinois in the semifinals and third-seeded Binghamton in the championship match. Nickell was named MAC Coach of the Year for the second time after leading the Bulls to their fourth conference championship match appearance in six years, and advancing UB to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Pablo Alvarez was named the Most Outstanding Player of the MAC Tournament, while he and Damien David tallied All-MAC recognition. The Bulls have posted double-digit victory seasons in five of Nickell's six seasons at the helm. He has tallied an overall record of 69-54 and an 18-11 mark in MAC dual matches. In his first season with the Bulls, Nickell led the team to an undefeated league record, a top seed in the MAC Championship Tournament, a spot in the MAC Championship match and national and regional rankings for his players. For all those efforts, Nickell was named MAC Coach of the Year in 2010. The following season, he guided the team to a 12-8 record. In 2012, he again led the team to a top seed in the MAC Tournament and a berth in the league final as the Bulls finished 11-10 and 4-1 in league play. Nickell's Bulls went 9-10 in 2013 before returning to winning ways in 2014. UB made its third trip to the championship round in five years, dropping a heartbreaking 4-3 title match to Ball State to finish the season 12-8. Nickell was named to the position in June of 2009 after a national search. Prior to his arrival in Buffalo, Nickell was an assistant coach at Fresno State for one season and spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Alabama, helping guide the Crimson Tide to a top-12 national ranking. During the 2008-09 campaign, Nickell coached at Fresno State, helping the Bulldogs to a final ranking of 44th in the nation and a 17-9 overall dual match record, while working alongside head coach Jay Udwadia, a Buffalo native. The Bulldogs narrowly missed an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament, while Nickell coached Rudolf Siwy, who made it to the singles draw of the NCAA championships. Siwy finished the season as the 54th-ranked singles player in the nation and joined with Mirko Zapletal to finish 41st in the nation in doubles play. Nickell helped four Bulldog netters earn All-Western Athletic Conference honors in 2009. Prior to his stint at Fresno State, Nickell was an assistant coach at the University of Alabama, where in three seasons he helped move the Crimson Tide from 74th in the nation to the top 12. Alabama went 55-31 during the four seasons that Nickell was an assistant coach. The Crimson Tide made the NCAA tournament in all three years, including an appearance in the Sweet 16 in 2006. He also helped coach three individual players to the NCAA championships including one doubles pair that went two years in a row. Before beginning his college coaching career in 2005, Nickell worked for four years at several clubs and tennis centers in the southeast. In 2001, he was the Head Tennis Pro/Director of Junior Development at North Carolina's Hendersonville Racquet Club. In 2003, Nickell was named Fitness Director at the Tops'l Beach and Racquet Club in Destin, Florida before being named Tennis Professional at the Cherokee Tennis Center in Woodstock, Georgia in 2004. Nickell graduated in 2001 from Furman University with a Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science. At Furman he played number one singles from 1998-2002. He was a three-year captain and was named to the All-Southern Conference Team twice in singles and once in doubles. Furman made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2001. At Furman, Nickell played for legendary men's tennis coach Paul Scarpa, the all-time winningest coach in Division I men's tennis history. On the national level, Nickell also serves as the Northeast Region committee chair for the ITA. 7/15