Men's Tennis
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- ddnelson@siu.edu
- Phone:
- 618-453-7247
- Alma Mater:
- Oklahoma Christian, 1997
Dann Nelson has guided Southern Illinois to two Missouri Valley Conference championships and one NCAA Tournament appearance during his 11 seasons as head coach.
Only the 10th head coach in a program that began in 1945, Nelson ranks second in school history in career wins (122). He is a two-time MVC Coach of the Year, winning the award in 2009 and 2014.Nelson has mentored 16 MVC All-Conference singles players and three All-Conference doubles teams during his tenure. His teams have also combined to produce 17 MVC Scholar-Athlete Team members.
Developing champions is Nelson's trademark. Hugo Vidal (No. 3), Eric West (No. 3) and Anton Leonenko (No. 5) have all won MVC singles titles, while Jonny Rigby and Michal Kianicka teamed up to win a No. 1 doubles title.
In his first season at SIU, Nelson coached the No. 28 nationally-ranked doubles duo of Sergio Sanchez and Felipe Villasenor, which reached the quarterfinals of the ITA fall regional and defeated the No. 6 doubles duo from Arkansas. The Salukis finished the fall 52-13 in singles and 27-8 in doubles, compiling the best team record and conference finish (sixth) since Southern's 1999 season. Nelson led the team to its first winning season in seven years, as the Dawgs finished 11-10 in the spring. Another highlight from 2006 came when Nelson earned the ITA Midwest Section Community Service award for establishing the Saluki Tennis Academy.
The 2009 season ranks among the best in school history. Nelson guided SIU to just the third MVC title in school history and the first since 1990. The program also gained an automatic berth to the 2009 NCAA Men's Tennis Championships. Four players earned All-Conference team (Hugo Vidal, Felipe Villasenor, Lucas Waked, and Eric West). Off the court, the team also achieved success, as Vidal and Anton Leonenko were named to the Academic All-Conference team. In addition, West was named the MVC's Freshman of the Year and Nelson was MVC Coach of the Year.Nelson picked up his 100th coaching win at SIU in 2014 and was named Co-Coach of the Year in the MVC. After a slow start, Nelson led the Salukis on a 7-1 run midway through the season, rounding out the regular season with two wins over Western Illinois and Illinois State. Freshman Michal Kianicka and sophomore Jonny Rigby finished as the only doubles pair to go undefeated in MVC play, both earning All-Conference recognition at No. 1 doubles. Rigby and Kianicka were also named to the All-Conference teams at No. 3 and No. 1 singles, respectively. Kianicka was also awarded MVC Freshman of the Year, the third Saluki to earn this accolade in SIU men's tennis history, after Eric West in 2009 and Jorge Cavero in 2011. Cavero, a graduating junior, earned All-Conference recognition in No. 2 singles after going undefeated in MVC play.
Prior to SIU, Nelson led Western Illinois' men's tennis team from 2003-2005. In the season prior to Nelson's arrival at Western, the Leathernecks had not won a dual match and had not won a conference dual match in two years. Nelson quickly turned things around, guiding WIU to a second-place regular-season Mid-Continent Conference finish in 2004. His team posted a 5-1 conference record and a 9-4 overall record, its best finish in eight years.
From 2001 to 2003, Nelson served as head coach at Westminster College, an NCAA Division III school in Fulton, Mo. In 2003, Westminster posted a 13-2 record to earn a conference title, and Nelson was named Coach of the Year in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Westminster won the SLIAC in 2002 and 2003 and posted a 19-7 combined record. Westminster also had 10 athletes selected to the All-Conference teams during that time period. In 2002, the team earned the school's first regional ranking in its history..
From 1997 to 2001, Nelson served as a teching professional at the Edmond Racquet Club in Edmond, Okla. As the Associate Director of Junior Development, Nelson worked with several nationally-ranked players as well as numerous state champions. Several of Nelson's students went on to play Division I tennis.
Nelson began his coaching career in 1997 as an assistant at NAIA Oklahoma Christian University, his alma mater, where he earned All-America honors as a player. While playing for Oklahoma Christian, Nelson amassed a 44-5 doubles record spanning the 1995 and 1996 seasons. He also participated in the NAIA Championships in 1995 and 1996. During Nelson's senior season, Oklahoma Christian earned the Sooner Athletic Conference title, the Region V team title and achieved a No. 4 national ranking.
Nelson served as a Volunteer Assistant at Central Oklahoma, an NCAA Division II school, while working on his Master's Degree. Nelson graduated from Oklahoma Christian in 1997, with a bachelor's degree in social studies. He earned a master's degree in education from Central Oklahoma in 2001.
Nelson and his wife, Casey, have two daughters, Khana and Nanaiya, and reside in Carbondale.
| Nelson Year-By-Year Record | |||
| Year | School | Record | Highlights |
| 2001-02 | Westminster (Mo.) | 6-5 | SLIAC Champions |
| 2002-03 | Westminster (Mo.) | 13-2 | SLIAC Champions |
| 2003-04 | Western Illinois | 9-4 | Summit League Semifinals |
| 2004-05 | Western Illinois | 9-10 | T-5th in Summit League |
| 2005-06 | Southern Illinois | 11-10-1 | T-6th in MVC |
| 2006-07 | Southern Illinois | 12-8 | 5th in MVC |
| 2007-08 | Southern Illinois | 11-13 | MVC Semifinals |
| 2008-09 | Southern Illinois | 18-7 | NCAA Tournament, MVC Champions |
| 2009-10 | Southern Illinois | 7-13 | MVC Semifinals |
| 2010-11 | Southern Illinois | 11-8 | MVC Semifinals |
| 2011-12 | Southern Illinois | 9-13 | T-3rd in MVC |
| 2012-13 | Southern Illinois | 13-6 | 3rd in MVC |
| 2013-14 | Southern Illinois | 10-11 | 3rd in MVC |
| 2014-15 | Southern Illinois | 6-16 | 4th in MVC |
| 2015-16 | Southern Illinois | 14-5 | MVC Co-Champions |
| OVERALL | 15 seasons | 159-131-1 (.548) | --- |
| AT SIU | 11 seasons | 122-110-1 (.524) | --- |
