(Story courtesy of Trinity University)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Trinity University Director of Athletics Bob King has announced the appointment of Matthew Haugen as the Interim Head Women's Tennis Coach.
Coach Haugen replaces Jacob McMindes, who recently resigned from the position. A national search will be conducted for a permanent coach, who will begin on June 1.
Coach McMindes began his tenure in June 2012. He led the Tigers to their second straight NCAA Division III Playoffs appearance following the 2013 campaign. Trinity's first-round win over Agnes Scott College was the team's first NCAA Tournament victory since the 2008 season. Emory University beat Trinity in the second round. Coach McMindes was elected the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Coach of the Year, after the Tigers won the SCAC Championship for the second year in a row.
The new interim coach brings a wealth of international and collegiate coaching experience to the Trinity campus.
Since May 2011, Coach Haugen has been the head men's and women's tennis coach of Hebei Province in China. He worked in conjunction with the Chinese Government Sports System, preparing players for the country's national team. Coach Haugen developed players who competed in the Association of Tennis Professionals, Women's Tennis Association, and International Tennis Federation events.
One of the top players who Coach Haugen mentored is Xu Shilin, ranked No. 15 in the world among junior girls competitors.
Coach Haugen was a men's graduate assistant coach at Boise State University during the 2010-11 season. He assisted in recruiting student-athletes for the NCAA Division I program, cooperatively taught kinesiology courses, and organized college and junior tournaments.
While at Boise State, Coach Haugen received a master's degree in education curriculum and instruction, and physical education pedagogy. For his thesis, Coach Haugen wrote "Reforming the Chinese Sports System: A Case Study of the Hebei Provincial Tennis Team."
Coach Haugen was an assistant men's and women's coach with the Division III Denison (OH) University teams in 2010. Denison's women's squad finished ranked No. 5 in the nation.
He also has worked as a high performance junior team coach in numerous locations, including the Westwood Country Club and St. Stephen's Tennis Academy in Austin, Texas; and the Boca Grande Country Club in Boca Grande, Florida.
A 2005 graduate of Kenyon (OH) College, Coach Haugen earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He was Kenyon's men's tennis team's captain, and was a member of the college's Dean's List.
Coach Haugen is a native of Austin, and attended Stephen F. Austin High School.
