Elias Fernandez was hired as the men's and women's tennis assistant coach in January 2021 and was later elevated to the Head men's tennis coach and associate head women's tennis coach in May of 2022.
In his first full academic year with the Wolves, Fernandez helped lead the women's program to their best record in program history (25-4), including the program's first NCAA Tournament victory. He also helped coach three All-SAC singles players, an All-SAC doubles team, and a SAC Player of the Year.
Tennis head coach Mark Gardiner spoke highly of Elias, saying, "we are extremely excited to have Elias join our program. He brings a lot of experience and is extremely passionate and energetic." Â
Fernandez served as a Graduate Assistant at Heidelberg University, where he received his MBA in May of last year. As an assistant, Elias was involved in every aspect of the tennis programs. These responsibilities included developing and implementing practice plans, recruiting and monitoring the academic progress of the student-athletes. Elias assisted in the increase of total wins for the Heidelberg tennis program by 25% in Spring 2019. He also assisted in mentoring three athletes to Academic All-OAC selection.
Following graduation from Heidelberg, Fernandez served as a Tennis Professional at the Southhampton Racquet Club and Tennis Innovators Academy in New York.  Elias has also experienced working as a tennis pro at well-known tennis summer camps such as Carmel Valley Tennis Camp in California and Camp Lindenmere in Pennsylvania.
Elias played tennis for William Woods University, where he double majored in Finance and Accounting. He served as a team captain of his tennis team as a junior and senior while being named to the Deans' List three-straight years. Fernandez was also named the NAIA Scholar-Athlete in 2017 and 2018. Â
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