Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Valparaiso University head men's tennis coach Jim Daugherty has announced the hiring of Jeff French as a Crusader assistant coach.

French was a standout player at Western Michigan University, where he ranks 30th all-time in Broncos history with 120 victories. He was named the team's Singles Player of the Year as well as being a part of Western Michigan's Doubles Team of the Year.

As a senior, he helped lead the Broncos to a school record 26 wins, a trip to the NCAA Tournament, and a #37 ranking nationally during the year, the highest in program's history. French posted a 22-1 record in singles dual matches on the year as well as a 20-5 mark in dual doubles contests. On the year he finished overall with a 29-3 singles mark and a 26-9 doubles record.

French played his freshman season at the University of Louisville before transferring to Western Michigan.

He has taught private lessons for the past several years and was an assistant coach for the USTA's Northern Indiana Junior Davis Cup team this past summer.

A 2006 graduate of Western Michigan with a degree in sales and business marketing, he is currently working on his master's degree at Valparaiso in sports administration.