DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Chad Berryhill has been selected to take over the reins of the Embry-Riddle women's tennis program according to an announcement made on Friday. Berryhill will be the third head coach in the program's 24-year history, succeeding Dave Paschal who has been the head coach for both the men's and women's tennis programs since 2005.
"We are absolutely thrilled to add Chad to our staff as our women's tennis head coach," ERAU Director of Athletics John Phillips said. "I've watched Chad coach in the Sunshine State Conference for several years and I've always been impressed by him and his teams."
"I am excited to be joining the Embry-Riddle community and athletic department this spring," Berryhill said. "I can definitely see the vision here, love the culture of Student-Person-Player, and the opportunity to grow a great women's tennis program. A special thanks to John Phillips, Dave Paschal, and the hiring committee for the opportunity to be part of their great institution. The women's tennis team is set up to have immediate success this spring and I look forward to working with those student-athletes very soon. While I am sad to be leaving the Saint Leo community and my student-athletes, I am excited about the opportunity and future for ERAU Women's Tennis. GO EAGLES!"
Berryhill brings a track record of success at various levels of college tennis to the Eagles' women's tennis program and comes to Embry-Riddle from Saint Leo where he led the men's and women's programs for eight seasons. He led the men's team to six NCAA II national tournament appearances, and three ITA Indoor national championships, while the women made five trips to the NCAA II national tournament and two to the ITA Indoor championship. The men's team has claimed two Sunshine State Conference titles and in 2023, they won the ITA Indoor National Championship.
Berryhill's Saint Leo teams consistently featured in the national rankings with the men's team earning top-three rankings in six of the last seven seasons, and the women's team being ranked among the top five in each of the last five years.
A native of Lansing, Michigan, Berryhill has been coaching at the collegiate level since 2005 when he was named the head coach of the Hillsborough Community College women's tennis program. In five years at HCC, he led the Lady Hawks to a National Junior College Athletic Association national title in 2008, as well as three national runner-up finishes and a No. 1 national ranking in four of his five seasons.
Berryhill departed HCC to become an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at UCF before returning to a head coaching role at his alma mater Ferris State in 2012. The Ferris State men's team reached the NCAA II final four in 2016 and won two conference regular season titles and a conference tournament title.
In addition to the team accolades, Berryhill has coached 37 ITA All-Americans, 35 NJCAA All-Americans, nine conference players of the year, six conference freshmen of the year, 79 all-conference selections and 11 ITA national award winners. Berryhill's student-athletes have also performed well in the classroom with 135 ITA Scholar-Athlete and 20 ITA All-Academic Team honors.
Berryhill has also been recognized himself for his coaching accomplishments. He has won ITA/NCAA II Women's Tennis Coach of the Year honors in each of the last two seasons and was tabbed as the USPTA Florida Division College Coach of the Year in 2019 and the NJCAA National Coach of the Year in 2008. He has five (3 men, 2 women) Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year honors to his credit and was named the SSC Women's Tennis Coach of the Year in 2018 and the league's Men's Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2023 in addition to being a four-time Florida Community College Athletic Association Coach of the Year.
His work in the tennis community extends outside of the college ranks as Berryhill has served as Co-Director of the Nike Tennis Camps at Rollins, a Staff Professional and Administrative Director at Tennissmith School in Tampa and Director of Tennis at the Tennis Academy at Harvard in Boston.
Phillips added, "Chad's accomplishments as a collegiate tennis coach speak for themselves — conference coach of the year, national coach of the year, etc. — but what clearly stood out to me (and our search committee) during the interview process was his demeanor, his personality and his character. He will be a fantastic fit within the culture we have built in the athletics department here at Embry-Riddle. I'm excited to welcome Chad and his wife Mollye, along with their daughter Peyton to the Eagle family!"
Berryhill earned his undergraduate degree in professional tennis management from Ferris State and his Master of Science in physical education. He is USPTA Elite Professional and Wheelchair certified and has served on ITA awards and rankings committees.
