SEWARD, Neb. – A former team MVP during his time as a student-athlete at Kalamazoo College in Michigan, David DeSimone has been named the head coach for Concordia University’s men’s and women’s tennis teams. DeSimone will begin his duties today (Feb. 18) and officially become a full-time staff member of the athletic department on June 1. In addition to coaching duties, DeSimone will serve in an athletic fund development role.
The Bulldog tennis teams have been coached during the 2018-19 academic year by graduate assistants Nikita Kostikov and Javier Moreno. Kostikov and Moreno will remain on staff through the 2019 season. The Concordia tennis squads opened up their spring seasons on Feb. 8.
DeSimone is familiar with the settings within the Bulldog athletic department having spent time as an intern alongside his previous role as a Development Operations Assistant at the University of Nebraska, where he is finishing his master of arts in business.
Wrote DeSimone in a statement, “It is a blessing and honor to become a member of the Concordia University Athletic Department as the Head Tennis Coach. I am grateful to President Brian Friedrich, Devin Smith, Angela Muller and all Concordia administrators for their support and the opportunity to join the Concordia University family. I am excited to help these student-athletes reach new heights in their faith, academics and athletics.”
Said Director of Athletics Devin Smith, “We are thrilled to welcome David as our new head tennis coach. I am a firm believer in his skills as a Christian leader, his organization, his ability to teach the game of tennis and his experience in fund development. In his time as an intern within our athletic department, David continually impressed me his hunger to advance in the athletic realm and I know he is extremely motivated to succeed in this capacity. Through the hiring process, myself and Associate Director of Athletic Angela Muller grew confidence in how David can positively impact our student-athletes, our athletic department and our university as a whole.”
Since finishing his undergrad at Kalamazoo in 2015, DeSimone has held several tennis coaching positions. He has served as an assistant coach at NCAA Division III Augustana College (Ill.) and worked as a Junior Development Pathway Director at Quad City Tennis Club. As a student-athlete, DeSimone also served as an assistant at the USTA Boys’ 18 and 16 National Championships in Kalamazoo. During his season with Augustana, DeSimone helped tutor a pair of all-conference players while collaborating on bringing in a highly rated class of recruits.
Since June 2018, DeSimone has been working to build up the Huskers Athletic Fund, whose membership has increased by over 900 members since August. DeSimone’s tasks within athletic fund development have been varied to include managing seat and hospitality areas at sporting events and strategic communications with donors and potential donors.
DeSimone successfully balanced his commitments as a student-athlete at Kalamazoo. He played throughout the lineup during his career while garnering numerous honors, including recognition as a two-time team MVP, four-time ITA Scholar-Athlete, two-time first team all-conference member and as a team captain his senior season. DeSimone also collected many academic honors such as the Hornet Award for exceptional athletic performance, academic performance and leadership.
A native of Bettendorf, Iowa, David is married to Maddy, who works as an elementary teacher in Seward.