TROY, Ala. – Four-time national championship head coach and former Troy student-athlete Rolando Vargas has been named Troy's new men's tennis head coach, Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain announced Thursday.
"Rolando is a national championship head coach and we are beyond excited to welcome him back to Troy," McClain said. "Having played and coached here he knows what it takes to be successful at Troy, and we are confident that his previous coaching successes are a precursor to what he will be able to accomplish here."
Vargas returns to Troy following one season as the head coach at Radford where he led the Highlanders to a four-win improvement and an All-Big South honor for Radford's No. 1 singles player.
"I want to thank Jeremy McClain, Sandy Atkins, Dr. Jack Hawkins and the committee for giving me this great opportunity," Vargas said. "While I truly appreciated my time and experience with Radford University, I consider Troy to be like home for me. I was a student-athlete and an assistant coach at Troy, and I have spent 13 years in Alabama; it truly feels like home."
Prior to his brief stint at Radford, Vargas guided the Auburn-Montgomery women's team to four NAIA National Championships (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015) and the men to a runner-up finish in 2013. From 2011 to 2016, Vargas led the men's and women's programs to a fifth-place finish or better in the NAIA. During that time, he led both programs to six straight Southern States Athletic Conference titles.
He was named the USPTA Southern Coach of the Year and College Coach of the Year following the 2015 season. In his seven seasons, Vargas led the men's team to a 140-37 record and the women's squad to an impressive 150-35 mark. During the 2017 season, Vargas led both programs to national and regional rankings while playing its first full NCAA Division II schedule as the men ranked 13th and the women 19th nationally.
"Troy tennis has a great tradition and history in both academics and sports," Vargas said. "I am looking forward to playing in the Sun Belt Conference. The facilities are something to be proud of here at Troy and the athletic programs make the student-athlete experience unbelievable. Also, the education that the students get is top notch. I am excited to bring in players that want to invest in our culture and to develop them, not only on the court or in the classroom, but in life. Troy has made me the person I am today, and I want others to be able to follow that path."
Vargas is a four-time NAIA Women's Coach of the Year and a nine-time SSAC Coach of the Year (five men's and four women's). In his seven seasons: Vargas coached 58 NAIA All-Americans, 30 ITA All-Americans and 10 conference players of the year. Academically, 12 of his players were named a Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete and eight were named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
Vargas played No. 1 singles and doubles during his playing career at Troy and was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American as a senior in 2003. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant on Troy's 2003 Atlantic Sun Conference championship squad.
After leaving Troy, Vargas played professionally for three years, with a ranking as high as 839 ATP. Prior to arriving at AUM, he was an assistant coach at his alma mater from 2007-09. He is a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) certified coach, earning the status of Elite Certified Professional, the highest available level.
Vargas earned his bachelor's degree from Troy in international business and his master's degree from Troy in sport management.
He and his wife Tiffany have one daughter, Amaia (11), and one son, Ander (4).