Men's Tennis
- Title:
- Head Coach
Craig Schwartz is set to begin his third season as head coach of the Bucknell men's tennis team and his fourth season overall at Bucknell, having served as current Bison coordinator of tennis Rebecca Helt's assistant for one year.
Schwartz led Bucknell to one of the biggest turnarounds in program history in 2014. Just one season removed from a rebuilding effort that saw the Bison tally three wins, they finished 14-9 and advanced to the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament. The season concluded with the Bison winning two major awards, as Nick Bybel was voted the Player of the Year and teamed with Bryan Adams to win Doubles Team of the Year.
Under the tutelage of Schwartz, Bybel has become the most accomplished player in Bucknell men's tennis history and still has a season left to add on to his already impressive resume. The two-time Patriot League Player of the Year, as well as the former Rookie of the Year, he finished his junior season as the program's career record holder in singles wins with a mark of 86-21. The record was fueled by a Bucknell single-season record 38 wins.
Prior to his time in Lewisburg, Schwartz spent five years as the head men’s tennis coach and tennis coordinator at Queens College in Flushing, New York. He led the Knights to an 88-28 record during his tenure, and his teams earned NCAA Tournament bids each year, advancing to the Round of 16 in each of his final four seasons. Schwartz, who was named the ITA East Region Coach of the Year in 2009 and the ECC Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2012, coached two ITA All-Americans, three ECC Players of the Year and 23 ECC All-Conference selections during his five years with the program.
Schwartz began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater, embracing two stints as the head coach at Dowling College during which time he compiled a 26-18 record. He guided the team to an NCAA Tournament berth and NYCAC championship in the 2003-04 season, earning NYCAC Coach of the Year honors, and then returned to the program from 2005-07, leading the Golden Lions to two more NCAA Tournament appearances.
A 2001 graduate of Dowling, Schwartz was also an accomplished collegiate and professional tennis player. He played at No. 1 singles and doubles during each of his four years at Dowling, earning the team’s MVP award on three occasions and captaining the squad as a junior and senior. A three-time NYCAC All-Conference selection, Schwartz was ranked as high as 17th in the country in Division II singles play during his senior year, and was named the NYCAC Player of the Year as well as the ITA East Region Senior Player of the Year during that campaign.
Since his graduation from Dowling, Schwartz has remained active on the professional circuit, playing in numerous tennis tournaments around the world and winning the USTA National Open Indoor doubles title in both 2007 and 2008. He has been ranked as high as 833rd in ATP doubles, and has obtained 43 world-ranking points throughout his professional doubles career. Additionally, Schwartz spent over a year in Germany as the personal coach of Marlene Weingartner, guiding her to the 35th spot in the WTA singles rankings.
Schwartz Career
Team Year Record (PL)
Bucknell | 2013 | 3-16 (2-4)
Bucknell | 2014 | 14-9 (3-2)
Total: 2 seasons | 17-25 (5-6)
