University of Rochester Men's Tennis

Nielsens eighth year as the Head Mens and Womens Tennis Coach at the University of Rochester. He was named to the position on September 1, 2008 after serving as the assistant coach for both teams for five years. Nielsen is a 2001 graduate of Penn State University with a baccalaureate degree in Kinesiology. During his time as a Nittany Lion, he played as high as 1st doubles and 2nd singles. He earned a masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Rochesters Simon Graduate School of Business in 2008. After eight years as head coach, Nielsen has coached the Yellowjackets to some of their greatest success in womens program history. Rochester finished the 2009-10 season ranked #20 in the nation after finishing 4th at the UAA Championships, upsetting 14th-ranked Washington University in the first round. The Yellowjackets also received a national ranking during the 2010-11 campaign, finishing 5th in the conference. Under the tutelage of Nielsen, Rochester women have accounted for two ITA Northeast Regional Singles titles, three New York State Division III championships, four ITA All-American awards and four All-UAA honors. In 2010, Frances Tseng earned both the UAA and ITA Northeast Regional Rookie of the Year Awards. Coach Nielsen has also had two players selected to compete in the NCAA Division III Singles Championships (Lia Weiner in 2011 and Frances Tseng in 2012). The Rochester men have also progressed under the leadership of Nielsen. Over the past seven seasons, the Yellowjackets have been consistently ranked in the competitive Northeast Region, reaching a high of #13 and also earning a national ranking of #37 to start the 2014-15 season. In the fall of 2014, the UR duo of Julian Danko and Ben Shapiro reached the semifinals at the ITA Northeast Regional Championships.  Ian Baranowski and Aaron Mevorach then accomplished the same feat in the fall of 2015.  UR's Jonny Baker earned All-UAA 2nd Team honors in 2014-15, the first men's player to earn All-Conference accolades during Nielsen's time leading the program. Along with the strong performance on the court, the Yellowjackets have seen much success in the classroom under Nielsen. Since the 2008-09 season, over 60 players have earned the ITA Scholar-Athlete Award and have been named to the UAA All-Academic Team. The women have earned the ITA All-Academic Team Award (average team GPA of 3.2 or above) all eight years, while the men have received the recognition six times. In the spring of 2016, Nielsen earned recognition from the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) as the Northeast Region Coach of the Year. Nielsen's career record coaching the Rochester women is 81-64 (.559) while his men's teams have compiled a 82-87 mark (.485).  He is second in Rochester tennis coaching history in both men's and women's victories. The Rochester-area native was a nationally-recognized junior player. Nielsen earned a national ranking in the 14-, 16-, and 18-year old age groups, rising to his United States high ranking of #44. He was the 2002 Rochester District Singles Champion as well as a five-time mens doubles and six-time mixed doubles district champion. Nielsen is a 1997 graduate of Honeoye Falls-Lima High School.