HARTFORD, Conn. - Trinity College Athletics has elevated Willy Nelson from interim to full-time head men's tennis coach.  Nelson, who will also be an assistant professor in the Trinity Athletic Department, guided Trinity to a 5-12 overall record while facing one of the nation's most grueling schedules.  The Bantams finished 10th place in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) with a 1-9 conference mark and Trinity junior Henry Bilicic enjoyed an all-conference season.  Nelson had been a Bantam assistant coach for both the men's and women's tennis programs for three years and was named associate head coach of each in November of 2022. 

"We are excited to welcome Willy into this elevated role and congratulate him for his hard work with the team this year," said Trinity Athletic Director Drew Galbraith.  "Coach Nelson's knowledge, enthusiasm, and team approach set him apart from a very good field of candidates. We look forward to him building on the storied legacy of Trinity men's tennis."

A 2015 graduate of the College of Wooster, Nelson was also an assistant coach at Millsaps College, where he helped both the men's and women's programs to team rankings inside the top ten in the Atlantic South Region.  Prior to Millsaps, Nelson served as a graduate assistant at Heidelberg University from 2016 to 2018, where he earned his master's degree in business administration. Between 2015 and 2018, he also had coaching stints with the Loomis Racquet Academy at Swarthmore College, and as a volunteer assistant at the College of Wooster.

"I would like to thank Drew Galbraith, Kristen Noone and the entire search committee for the opportunity to be head men's tennis coach at Trinity," said Nelson. "I have been fortunate to spend the past four years with this program and I feel extremely connected to this place. I am excited to continue to work with these student-athletes on building a strong tennis program and in helping them make their college experience special."

A two-time captain at Wooster, Nelson started all four years for the Fighting Scots while earning a bachelor's degree in geology. An All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Honorable Mention selection in 2013 and 2014, he accumulated the most wins on the team in his senior season.