Aug. 23, 2011
ATLANTA – Conor Pollock, a three-time All-American tennis player at Texas A&M who has spent the last year in private coaching, has been named assistant men’s tennis coach at Georgia Tech, head coach Kenny Thorne announced Tuesday.
He replaces Aljosa Piric, who became the head men’s tennis coach at Old Dominion in June after helping coach the Yellow Jackets to the NCAA Tournament the last two years.
“I’m extremely excited to have Conor join our staff,” said Thorne. “He understands the high level student-athletes we recruit to Georgia Tech. He is a very sharp guy that has been under some of the best coaches in the nation in Joey Blake, Tim Cass and Steve Denton. He has been successful in junior, college and pro tennis. He is fresh off playing on the pro tour and will bring some great experience right away. He understands the level of athlete that it takes to be successful on the national stage of college tennis. He will be a great addition to help this team build on the success from last year.”
Pollock comes to Tech after conducting the competitive academy training program for the Polo Tennis and Fitness Club in Austin, Texas, providing top-level instruction to elite junior tennis players in the state of Texas. Prior to that, he played professionally on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour for 14 months, achieving a high ranking of 627 in singles and 341 in doubles. He was part of doubles teams which won 12 professional events.
“I would like to thank Kenny Thorne for giving me the opportunity to join such an excellent program,” said Pollock. “Working with the current ITA National Coach of the Year is a tremendous privilege and I am excited to help continue his tradition of excellence here at Georgia Tech with integrity and resolve. The academic reputation, athletic prowess and tremendous support received here at Georgia Tech makes it one of the premier institutions and I am honored to be on board.”
A 2009 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Business Finance from Texas A&M, Pollock earned Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American honors three times from 2007-09 and was an All-Big 12 Conference selection each year. He was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2006, was named the ITA South Central Region Player of the Year as a senior in 2009, and earned Academic All-Big 12 honors three times. He was a member of the 2004 USTA Junior Davis Cup team.
Pollock helped guide Texas A&M to the NCAA Championships every season, and set the Aggie record for doubles victories with an overall mark of 91-40 in doubles play. The two-time team captain helped Texas A&M achieve a national ranking of No. 23 his junior year and No. 14 his senior season. He teamed with Austin Krajicek to reach the NCAA doubles semifinals in 2008.
