Wilson ITA Coach of the Year
Daniel Pollock from Johns Hopkins University has been named the 2023 Wilson ITA Coach of the Year.
In 2 seasons at Johns Hopkins, Pollock has transformed the women’s tennis program from every angle possible.
For the first time under Pollock, Johns Hopkins is recruiting on the national stage. In a shortened first year recruiting cycle, Pollock's first class was ranked No. 3 in the nation by tennisrecruiting.net and included the first players from California in over a decade.
On the court, Pollock has led Hopkins to two straight Centennial Conference Championships and in 2023, Hopkins finished the season 21-4 and reached the NCAA Quarterfinals.
Under Pollock, the Johns Hopkins team has shown clear development on the court. This season three singles players and two doubles teams were ranked in the ITA Atlantic South Regional Rankings. This includes two first year players who also achieved a national ranking this season. Johns Hopkins has had back-to-back Conference Players of the Year and the 2023 Conference Rookie of the Year.
Off-Court, Pollock has been behind great change as well during his two short years at the helm of Johns Hopkins. The team meets weekly with a breath-work expert to develop life skills and mental performance techniques. He also coordinates weekly with performance staff on athlete wellness survey responses and creates a practice and training schedule that accounts for appropriate rest, recovery, and performance improvement. Pollock actively encourages team engagement in community service and even looks for ways for the team to be involved with local foundations on spring break trips.
These changes did not happen overnight, but Pollock has helped reshape the future of Johns Hopkins tennis and has made the future a bright one.
A Letter From Athletic Director Jennifer Baker
Dear Dan,
CONGRATULATIONS on being named the ITA Coach of the Year! You are the first coach in the history of Hopkins Women's Tennis to have earned this honor, and we are immeasurably proud of you. The success you have cultivated among your women - both on and off the court - is truly remarkable, especially given your short tenure with our program. It was a privilege to watch your team battle to a 21-4 season record (the second most wins in a season in program history), earn your way into the NCAA Quarterfinals, and notch the program's 16th straight Centennial Conference Championship. Along the way, your women earned numerous individual honors, to include Academic All-America, All-America, Conference Player of the Year, Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Conference Rookie of the Year, and additional campus leadership recognition. Everything achieved this year under your leadership is a direct reflection of all that you have personally invested in this program, beginning with marathon days of individual and small group practices, dual match days in multiple locations, and hours of match preparation. Throughout, your women have felt cared for, supported, and inspired by you; they have grown into resilient, empowered, confident student-athletes who represent the very best of Blue Jay Tennis.
Thank you for all that you do for us, and for the way in which you have represented Johns Hopkins this year! I am grateful for your leadership, and excited to see what yet lies ahead for our women's tennis program. Congratulations again on being named the ITA Coach of the Year!
Go Hop!