Mike Anderson
Head Men's Tennis Coach

THE Anderson FILE

Hometown: Radford, Va.
Years at Radford: 13

Contact Phone: 540-831-7173
Contact Email: mcanders@radford.edu

Anderson
Year-By-Year

Year	Overall	Conference
1997	12-7	3-3 (4th)
1998	20-7	4-1 (2nd)
1999	16-10	3-2 (3rd)
2000	11-12	4-3 (T-2nd)
2001	15-10	4-3 (T-3rd)
2002	5-19	1-6 (8th)
2003	11-13	2-5 (6th)
2004	12-10	4-2 (4th)
2005	13-7	3-3 (T-4th)
2006	21-4	6-0 (1st)
2007	17-6	6-1 (T-1st)
2008	15-2	6-0 (1st)

anderson ON court

Coaching

1996-Current

Head Coach, Radford

Profile:

Three-time Big South Coach of the Year, Mike Anderson, enters his 13th season as the head coach of Radford University’s men’s tennis program. Anderson’s Highlanders are coming off their second consecutive Big South Championship and trip to the NCAA Tournament.

In 2008, his Highlanders went 15-2 and earned their first national ranking (59th) in school history. RU reeled off nine-straight wins to start the season and finished ranked 69th overall in the NCAA. They also posted their second undefeated Big South regular season in the last three years.

The last three years have re-established Radford among the elite in the Big South and regionally. The Highlanders have posted a 53-12 overall record and 18-1 in Big South play. The Highlanders have also held court at home, winning 27 consecutive matches.

Individually, Martin Sayer has been named Player of the Year the past three seasons and 15 singles and seven doubles teams earned All-Conference honors. Sayer has helped RU gain national recognition, being ranked regularly among the best in the NCAA and reaching the NCAA Tournament the last three years, including the second round in 2006 and 2007.

Earning a reputation as a solid recruiter, Anderson has had several Highlanders over the years gain conference, regional and national recognition. In the past 12 years, RU has garnered 24 All-Conference selections, 17 in singles and seven in doubles.

During Anderson’s tenure, Radford has produced three of the last four Big South Freshmen of the Year, including 2008 rookie Ivan Salec, and four overall. Sayer and Salec have garnered regional acknowledgements to go along with Sayer’s national recognition.

In 2007, he guided Radford to its first Big South Championship with a 4-0 win over three-time defending champion Winthrop on April 21. The win also gave RU its first birth to the NCAA Championships, playing against No. 6 North Carolina. The Highlanders finished with a 17-6 overall record and a share of the Big South regular season title, their second straight.

In 2006, the Highlanders posted a school record 21 victories and reached the Big South Championship match for the first time in school history. Radford was honored for its record-breaking season.

Under Anderson's guidance, Martin Sayer became RU's first nationally ranked player and the first to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Along with Anderson and Sayer earning their respective honors, Mehdi Benhammou was named Freshman of the Year.

It was Anderson's first honor in his 10th year of coaching, while Sayer was the first Player of the Year at Radford since 1994. RU also had a school record four singles player and two doubles teams earn All-Conference honors in 2006.

In Anderson's second year (1998), the Highlanders recorded the first 20-win season (20-7) in school history. The Highlanders followed that with a 16-10 mark in 1999 and finished third in the Big South race.

Anderson's teams play hard on the court, but he believes that athletes should be willing to give something back to the community. His teams has been involved in numerous community service projects in the New River Valley and his motivation for doing so is simple: he wants his players to recognize how fortunate they are to play tennis at the major college level.

His commitment to excellence has shown in his team's success both on and off the court. It was recognized in 2007, earning Big SouthSportsmanship Award which is voted on by Big South student-athletes in their respective sports. His friendly demeanor has made Anderson one of the most popular members of the Radford athletic staff.

Anderson was a long-time coach on the United States Tennis Association circuit, and has coached USTA adult league teams since 1985 in the New River area, in addition to coaching at several other levels of competition over the years. He was active in the Queen City tennis league in Charlotte, N.C., from 1975-85, before moving to the New River Valley.

Anderson, who has two sons and a daughter, resides in Radford with his wife Kathleen.