Derek Schwandt

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A former assistant coach for the men’s tennis program at Fresno State and Virginia, Derek Schwandt joined the Georgia Tech men’s tennis program in July of 2012.

In his first three years at Tech, he has helped the Yellow Jackets secure two recruiting classes ranked among the top 15 in the nation. Tech’s 2013 class was ranked 11th, and the 2014 incoming class was ranked 14th. He also has helped lead the Yellow Jackets to three straight NCAA Team Championship berths following a three-year absence and produce a two-time ACC Player of the Year and All-American in Christopher Eubanks. In the 2017 season, the Jackets rose to No. 12 in the ITA rankings and defeated No. 16 Stanford, No. 20 South Carolina, No. 33 Florida State and No. 35 Duke twice.

Schwandt was named to the USTA Collegiate National Team staff during the summer of 2014 and 2015, coaching the top American college players on the ITF futures pro circuit. In his two years at Fresno State, Schwandt helped the Bulldogs win two-straight Western Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships and rise to No. 14 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings in 2012.

“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to work with Kenny Thorne at one of the best institutions and athletic programs in the country,” said Schwandt. “This is something that I’ve been working towards, and a lot of people have helped me get to this point in my coaching career. I’m very excited about our team’s potential at Georgia Tech, and I’m looking forward to training hard and competing in the ACC and NCAA.”

In 2012, Schwandt helped lead Fresno State to defeat No. 9 Stanford for the first time in program history, catapulting the team to No. 14 in the country. After winning a second consecutive WAC Tournament title, the Bulldogs went to their second straight NCAA Tournament and fell to No. 27 San Diego in the first round.

In 2011, he helped lead the Bulldogs to their first WAC Tournament title since 1999 and a No. 37 national team ranking. In the 2011 NCAA Tournament, Fresno State defeated No. 19 Minnesota in the first round before falling 4-3 to No. 14 Cal.

“Derek is one of the hardest workers I have been around, which fits in well with our expectations for staff and team,” said Thorne. “He brings a great deal of knowledge and experience from his years coaching at UVA and at Fresno State. He has also worked at the Philadelphia USTA regional training center with some great coaches. He did a great job recruiting at Fresno State, so he will be instrumental in bringing in the best student-athletes that are champions on and off the court. Most importantly, Derek is a person with great integrity. Our program stands for and demands integrity on and off court. Derek represents Georgia Tech well in all areas.”

From 2008-2010, Schwandt was the volunteer assistant coach for top ranked Virginia. There, he received full-time experience in running practice sessions, coaching in dual-matches, recruiting, administration and directing ITA fall tournaments.

During Schwandt’s time at UVA, the Cavaliers won the 2009 and 2010 ITA national team indoor championship, the 2009 and 2010 ACC championship and the 2009 and 2010 NCAA doubles title. They also reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship in 2009, and the semi-finals in 2010. He coached under Brian Boland, the 2008 and 2016 ITA National Coach of the Year.

From 2005 to 2008, Schwandt played ITF futures and ATP challengers all over the world, including tournaments in South America, Mexico, Canada, Central America and India. He earned an ATP world ranking in singles and doubles. His best win was over Marcus Fugate (500 ATP) 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 in the 2008 Binghamton challenger.

He completed his master’s degree in sport psychology, with a 4.0 grade-point average, at Fresno State in May of 2012. His book review on John Wooden was published in the June 2012 issue of The Sport Psychologist.

Schwandt graduated from the University of Richmond in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, concentrating in economics. At Richmond, he was part of three Atlantic 10 conference championships (2002, 2004, 2005) and three NCAA team tournament appearances. He was named to the All-Atlantic 10 team in 2004 and 2005.

He is married to Rachel Schwandt and resides in Atlanta, GA.