Ron Gunther recently named Brad Dancer the new head coach for the Illinois men’s tennis team. Dancer served as associate head coach during the 2005 season and becomes the 19th men’s tennis coach at Illinois. He takes over for Craig Tiley, who coached the men for the past 12 seasons, leading them to a national championship in 2003. Under Tiley, the Illini held an impressive 249-73 record.

“I am very excited about this opportunity,” Dancer said. “I feel great about the future of Illinois tennis, especially next season with the continuity of the team that we will have returning. I know the players are anxious to move forward with their games this summer and are looking ahead to next year.”

As associate head coach, Dancer helped lead the Illini to a 25-4 record and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to Florida State.

“We are very pleased to name Brad Dancer as our head men’s tennis coach,” Guenther said. “He was involved in the recruitment of last year’s freshman class, and was instrumental in the recruiting of the tremendous class coming to Illinois this fall. He has some terrific experience as a successful head coach at the Division I level, and we are fortunate to have someone of his caliber already on staff. We are very confident Brad can continue to keep the Illini men’s tennis program at the highest level.”

Former head coach Craig Tiley succumbed to the allure of coaching at the next level of play, resigning from Illinois to take the position of Director of Player Development for Tennis Australia, where he will oversee all facets of tennis in the nation of Australia.

“This has been a difficult decision for me, one I have thought carefully about for some time,” Tiley said. “Illinois has provided me with the best possible opportunities that I could have asked for. What we have accomplished here at Illinois would not have been possible without the efforts of everyone involved in the program – from the players, to the support staff and our great fans. I am sad to be leaving, however the time has come for me both personally and professionally to explore new paths.”

Before coming to Illinois, Dancer compiled a 38-35 overall record in three seasons as the head coach of Fresno State. He led his teams to two NCAA Tournament appearances with the squad advancing to the second round in 2003, which was the farthest advancement in his tenure. That year, Fresno State went 18-9 and finished 35th nationally. Possibly even more impressive was Dancer’s work off the court where, in his first two seasons, the team GPA climbed from 2.4 to 3.3 and he helped initiate the expansion of booster club membership by 300 percent.

“I am thankful to Craig for the opportunity he gave me this past season,” Dancer said. “With all the tradition, class and integrity he has brought to this program and community, I feel that there is not a better program in the country to inherit than Illinois.”