In May, senior Brendan Lynch thought he saw his Penn State tennis career come to an end upon his graduation from the Smeal College of Business.
Only a few months later, that ending became a new beginning.
Lynch was appointed assistant coach of the team by head coach Todd Doebler in late June and shortly after began work July 1.
When Lynch returned to campus ready to begin a new chapter in his life, he said he couldn't hold back his excitement.
"I'm thrilled for the opportunity to take on this new role," Lynch said. "My work ethic won me a lot of matches and hopefully the traits I prided myself on can help our players further their abilities and improve. That's my main goal in coaching."
Lynch compiled 17 singles wins in the 2008-09 season and ended his senior campaign on a five-match winning streak. Doebler believes Lynch has the qualities necessary to translate his success on the court to his new opportunity in the coaching ranks.
"Brendan is a very mature guy who knows the game extremely well and is familiar with how I like to get things done here at Penn State," Doebler said. "He has been a leader for us in the past and he's a great fit for us."
Doebler conducted a national search in May to find an adequate replacement for Dan Holman, who accepted an offer to become the director of tennis at Westport Club in Denver, N.C. After two months, Doebler made a phone call to a familiar face.
"The best person for the job was sitting right in front of me," Doebler said.
Lynch, who applied for coaching jobs throughout the United States, landed a convenient opportunity to pursue his dream at his alma mater.
"[Doebler] and I were in great communication throughout the process, but it was a very tough month or so of waiting," Lynch said. "It was a very happy evening when I received the news."
Lynch played alongside seven of the team's 12 current players last season. Now, as an assistant with the team, Lynch feels that he can help his former teammates improve on the court because he knows first-hand where the improvement needs to come from.
"I truly feel like I have a head start on finding the way to best reach the guys," Lynch said. "My knowledge of them as teammates gives me a great idea of where they are at this stage of their careers. I can give them an idea of how to read their opponents better. I want to help these guys improve so we can get back to where we need to be this year."
Adam Slagter, the team's co-captain last season, feels that Lynch has proven to the returning members of the team through his dedication to the program that he is ready for this role change.
"He's one of the hardest-working people I've ever met and has a very positive attitude regarding his teammates and the sport of tennis," Slagter said. "He's a blue-collar guy and he always did things the right way as a player and I definitely expect that from him as a coach. It's a privilege for the program to be able to install his attitude into the rest of the players."
