Tom Linhart enters his third season at the helm of the men’s and women’s tennis programs at Elmira College in the 2017-18 academic year.
Linhart returns to Elmira, where he spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s tennis teams from 2007-09. During that span, he coached three players to Empire 8 All-Conference honor, including EC's first conference Rookie of the Year and first E8 All-Conference First-Team doubles tandem. As the head coach, Linhart has had 11 women and two men receive Empire 8 All-Conference recognition, which includes 2016 First Teamer and E8 Rookie of the Year E8 Tilila El Yazidi ’20.
Linhart’s streak of lofty success continued with an impressive 2016-17 campaign. On the men’s side, Patrick Tracey '18 tied the program record with 21 total wins in his junior season. Anthony Colavito ’20 (10), Tracey (9) and Yaniv Kogan '18 (9) and all cracked the program’s single-season doubles victories leaderboard this past year.
In her freshman campaign, El Yazidi set new program records in single-season total wins (30), singles victories (15) and is tied with doubles partner Megan Fitzgerald ’18 for doubles wins (15). Fitzgerald is on the cusp of becoming one of the winningest players in program history, as she ended her junior year ranked third in career wins (63), second career singles triumphs (31) and third career doubles victories (32).
In his first season back at EC, Linhart saw several student-athletes climb the all-time record boards. Satchal Waters '16 and Austin Mansell '16 solidified their spots as the all-time wins leaders with 66 and 65 victories, respectively. Mansell, Kogan and Tracey each established a new single-season wins total with 21. Tracey's 13 wins set a new mark for singles victories in a season, while Chris Konow '18 earned 11 doubles wins to set a new single-season record.
The women’s squad also showcased impressive play in 2016, as Ayaka Yoshino ’16 became program’s all-time career wins leader with 73 total victories and 37 singles triumphs. Yoshino finished the year with an impressive 17 total victories, which is tied for the seventh-most in program history in a single season. Yoshino’s classmate, Ellen Plowman ’16, also ended her career in impressive fashion, as she ranks fifth in program history in total career wins (50), sixth in career singles victories (25) and in a tie for sixth in career doubles triumphs (25). Both Yoshino and Plowman received All-Conference accolades for their final collegiate seasons, as the former was named a First Teamer in both singles and doubles and the latter made First Team doubles and was an Honorable Mention selection in singles.
Linhart returns to Elmira, where he spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s tennis teams from 2007-09. During that span, he coached three players to Empire 8 All-Conference honor, including EC's first conference Rookie of the Year and first E8 All-Conference First-Team doubles tandem.
Following his first stint with the Soaring Eagles, Linhart spent six seasons as the head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis teams at Lake Superior State University, an NCAA Division II institution in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. Twenty-one of his Lakers student-athletes earned All-Conference honors and he coached the 2010 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) men’s tennis Rookie of the Year.
During his time at Lake Superior State, Linhart guided his team and players to several notable achievements. He recruited and coached six of the university's top-10 winningest female players and three of the top-10 winningest male players in program history. He also coached eight players to Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Regional Rankings and led his men's team to a top-10 regional ranking in 2010. Additionally, Linhart's 2011-12 women's team pieced together a program record-setting 16-8 overall record.
Linhart was a member of the in-conference rival St. John Fisher College’s men’s tennis team from 2002-06. He was named Empire 8 All-Conference on five occasions, earning doubles recognition three times and singles honors twice. He accumulated 80 wins during his four-year career with the Cardinals.
Linhart earned his bachelor’s degree from St. John Fisher College in 2006 and his master’s from Elmira College in 2009. His father, Tom Sr., is the head men’s tennis coach at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, New York.
