PHILADELPHIA – Saint Joseph's Vice President and Director of Athletics Jill Bodensteiner announced on Tuesday that Tyson Thomas has been selected as the new head coach of the Hawk women's tennis program.
 
"After a national search, I'm excited to announce that Tyson Thomas will join Saint Joseph's Athletics as our next head women's tennis coach." Bodensteiner said. "Tyson has incredible tennis experience both in the NCAA Division I coaching ranks and during his time in Africa with the Peace Corps and Peter Burwash International. His coaching philosophy is an incredible fit with our Jesuit model of whole-person development and I'm extremely excited about the future of St. Joe's women's tennis under his leadership."
 
"I am extremely excited and grateful to have the opportunity to become the next head coach of the Saint Joseph's women's tennis program," Thomas said.  I would like to thank Jill Bodensteiner, [Director of Athletics Development and tennis program administrator] Laurel Hosmer, and everyone else that was a part of the search process.  In my early conversations, it was clear that the department is filled with wonderful people who are committed to giving our student-athletes an incredible experience."
 
Most recently an assistant coach with Penn's women's tennis program, where he helped the Quakers to 11 dual match victories, Thomas has spent the last decade coaching in the collegiate ranks.  Prior to coming to Philadelphia, he spent three seasons as a volunteer assistant coach with the women's program at Virginia.  While there, he helped guide the Cavaliers to 49 wins and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the quarterfinals in 2022.  In addition, he coached three players to All-America honors, including Emma Navarro, who won the NCAA Singles Championship in 2021.
 
Thomas brings head coaching experience to Hawk Hill as well, having served as the head coach of the men's program at Omaha for five of his six years with the Mavericks.  He guided four players to All-Summit League accolades during his tenure, including Razvan Grigorescu and Abdoul Ouattara, who earned two All-Conference selections apiece; Grigorescu also earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament in 2017.  Thomas led the Mavericks to their first-ever appearance in the Summit League Tournament in 2016 before guiding them to their first tournament final the following season.
 
Prior to joining the staff at Omaha, Thomas was a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali, where he served as co-director of the Malian National Tennis Academy.  Building the academy from the ground up, Thomas trained the top junior players in Mali and coached them in international tournaments across western Africa.
 
Thomas enjoyed a standout playing career at the University of Nebraska–Kearney, where he was an All-Conference honoree in both singles and doubles play as a junior and senior.  He helped lead the Lopers to their first-ever conference championship and their first trip to the NCAA Sweet 16.  He then joined Peter Burwash International as a Tennis Director, creating and directing programs at various locations around the world, including Abu Dhabi, Costa Rica, and the U.S. Virgin Islands; he also served as a development ambassador for the company at the Beijing Open in 2008.
 
A native of Columbus, Nebraska, Thomas earned his degree in comprehensive psychology from UNK in 2005.  Thomas resides in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., with his wife Meggan and daughters Fiona and Margo.