Men's Tennis | 7/24/2017 9:24:00 AM

ROCHESTER, NY – Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Lou Spiotti Jr. announced the appointment of Tom Linhart Jr. as RIT head men's and women's tennis coach at RIT, effective Aug. 8.
 
Linhart has served as a head coach for the last eight seasons at Division II Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., from 2009-15 and most recently at former Empire 8 rival Elmira College for two seasons. He also served as an assistant coach at Elmira from 2007-09.

"We are delighted to have Tom Linhart Jr. join our Athletics team as head coach of the RIT men's and women's tennis programs," said Spiotti. "Tom brings with him a rich background in coaching, playing and administering at the collegiate level. We are confident that he will lead our programs and student-athletes in an upward direction in the true tradition of Tiger Athletics."
 
As head coach at Elmira, Linhart had 11 women and two men receive Empire 8 All-Conference recognition. He helped lead the Soaring Eagles men's squad to 19 dual wins over the last two seasons. In addition, Linhart served as a game-day administrator at Elmira and was an assistant in the sports information office during his first stint.

While at Lake Superior State, Linhart guided his team to several notable achievements. He recruited and coached six of the university's top-10 winningest female players and three of the top-10 winningest male players in program history. He also coached eight players to Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Regional Rankings and led his men's team to a top-10 regional ranking in 2010. Additionally, Linhart's 2011-12 women's team pieced together a program record-setting 16-8 overall record. Twenty-one student-athletes earned All-Conference honors.
 
"I want to thank Lou Spiotti for the opportunity to lead the RIT men's and women's tennis programs," said Linhart. "I am beyond excited to join an incredible athletic department that truly invests in their student-athletes both on and off the court and really has a passion for development and success. I share in this passion and am honored to take over a team that has a strong history which I look to build upon." 

Linhart played collegiately at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, N.Y., from 2002-06. He was named Empire 8 All-Conference on five occasions, earning doubles recognition three times and singles honors twice. He accumulated 80 wins during his four-year career with the Cardinals.

Linhart earned his bachelor's degree in childhood and special education from St. John Fisher in 2006 and his master's degree in education from Elmira in 2009. His father, Tom Sr., is the head men's tennis coach at nearby Roberts Wesleyan College.