NEWBERG, Ore. -- After a coaching tenure that saw several NCAA runs and three consecutive Northwest Conference championships for the George Fox men's tennis team, Jeff Cero has been named the next head coach of the Division I Belmont Bruins men's tennis program, effective immediately.

Cero takes over a Belmont team that qualified for the 2023 NCAA Division I Championships and is projected to win the Horizon League for a second consecutive season. He will become just the third head coach in the Nashville, Tenn. school's history since they joined the NCAA in 1997.

Under Cero, the men's tennis program built off of the successes of coach Neal Ninteman and reached new heights. After a COVID-shortened 2020 season, the Bruins won the Northwest Conference title and qualified for their first-ever NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the Elite Eight.

In the next two seasons, the Bruins would again advance to the NCAA Playoffs, reaching the First Round in 2022 and the Second in 2023. Cero never lost an NWC Game in his career at Fox, finishing a perfect 24-0 with three conference titles. In his time at the helm, the Bruins produced six ITA All-Americans.

In addition to coaching, Cero also managed the Bruins' home site, where he was honored by the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) for his efforts as Director of Facilities, with the Bruins' Multi-Use Facility being named the Pacific Northwest Small Facility of the Year in 2019-20.

"Jeff has been instrumental in building our men's tennis program and our tennis facility, and I am beyond grateful for his service to George Fox," said Athletic Director Adam Puckett. 

The departure of the head coach leaves the Bruins with a vacancy just one and a half weeks before the season. Mitchell Miyashiro, a 2014 men's tennis program graduate and an assistant coach for the team, will take over the reins as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Following the season, a search will begin for Cero's replacement.

Miyashiro and the three-time defending champion Bruins will take the court for the first time on Friday, February 9, as they host the Seattle RedHawks at 4:00 p.m.