Wittenberg University Vice President and Director of Athletics & Recreation Brian Agler has announced Jacob Rankin as the next Head Coach of the Tiger men's and Women's tennis program. Rankin joins the Wittenberg community, having most recently served as Head Coach of the IU-East Red Wolves.
"First off, I want to thank Vice President and Director of Athletics Brian Agler, along with Senior Associate AD Bret Billhardt, and the entire search committee for this incredible opportunity to lead such a well-established program like Wittenberg," said Rankin. "I've envisioned the opportunity of coaching at Wittenberg University throughout my career, and I'm honored to be making this dream come true. From the very first conversations, it seemed that the search committee and I had the same vision for the program and how to get there. Coach Johnston has done an excellent job pushing the tennis program to new heights, and I look forward to continuing that tradition. Though I won't be on campus for a couple of weeks, the coaching staff and I are already hitting the ground running, and we are confident this will be the best Wittenberg tennis season yet! Go Tigers!"
During his time at the helm in Richmond, Rankin led the men to their first conference championship match in program history. Most recently, in April of 2021, Rankin led the IU-East women's program to their first conference championship win, securing an NAIA national championship automatic qualifier for the Red Wolves.
"We are excited about Jacob leading our tennis program into the future," said Agler. "His experience in on court coaching at the college level and recruiting will be a huge factor in how we continue building a championship caliber program."
As a player, Rankin was an all-conference performer for NAIA Top 25 programs at Indiana Wesleyan during his collegiate career.
Rankin brings is set to become the 11th Tiger Head Coach in program history. Rankin graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with a Bachelors degree in Psychology, before moving on to Concordia University Irvine to obtain his Master of Arts in Coaching & Athletic Administration in 2019. While in Irvine, Rankin served as a teaching professional at Max Performance Tennis Academy, working with the highest caliber youth tennis players from Orange County.