Mike Gennette was named the head coach of Cal Lutheran men's tennis in 1994, just the second coach in program history. In 2017, he added women's head coach to his title.
During his tenure at CLU, Gennette has coached Kingsmen student-athletes to 26 NCAA All-America honors, led by the 1996 NCAA singles champion Mark Ellis and the 1997 NCAA doubles champions Ellis and Jenia “Eugene” Karimov.
Gennette was also the private coach to two world No. 1 ranked juniors, Claire Liu, who won the Wimbledon Girls Singles in 2017 and the Wimbledon Girls Doubles in 2016, and Kayla Day who won the U.S. Open Girls Singles championship in 2016. He was also the coach for Austen Huang who was the number 1 player in the nation in 2017.
Gennette’s coaching accolades include being named the Player Development Coach of the Year (2016) for the United States by the US Olympic Committee and the US Tennis Association, the USPTA California Division Pro of the Year (2017).
Under his recent tutelage, CLU reached the quarterfinals of the Division III Tennis Championships (2015), had a player get to the NCAA National Singles Finals (2012), the Ojai Independent College Singles and Doubles Champions (2018), and back-to-back trips to the West Regional Finals of the NCAA Tournament (2012-13).
A lifelong resident of the Conejo Valley, Gennette, his wife Dyan, and daughters Allison and Cate make their home in Newbury Park.
What are they saying about Coach Gennette
Ryan Lassila - Former Player - 2011 Graduate
"I chose to join the Cal Lutheran tennis team for three reasons: a storied team of consistently winning, a beautiful campus, and Coach Gennette. I came in my freshman year underdeveloped but with the strongest desire to be the best. Coach Gennette not only embraced me but poured all his free time and energy into developing me, both as a player and a young man. I ended my college career playing #3 in singles and #2 in doubles on a CLU team that finished top 5 in the nation with wins against the top Division III tennis teams, including UCSC, Redlands, Trinity, and CMS. I wouldn’t trade my experience as part of CLU tennis for anything!"
Tony Cohen - Former Player - 1991 Graduate, MBA '94 - All-American, CLU Hall of Fame
"My only regret about my time at CLU is that I didn’t get there sooner. I transferred in as a Junior and had an amazing 2 years to complete my undergraduate degree. I enjoyed the school so much, I decided to return and get my MBA and utilize my final year of tennis eligibility. The professors and coaches were very nurturing and the friendships I made from the tennis team will last a lifetime. There were so many great memories from my time at CLU, whether it was team road trips down to San Diego or up San Luis Obispo to compete against other schools, the comradery developed with my teammates was something I will always cherish. Whenever you leave a company, the one thing you always hear is “I will miss the employees”. Well, the same can be said for CLU. Once I left the school, I think what I missed most were the professors and coaches. More specifically, my time spent with Coach Mike Gennette had a tremendous impact on my life. The supportive environment Mike provided made my time very enjoyable, and educational and helped me better navigate my future career path. Deciding to transfer to CLU early in my schooling years was one of the best decisions in my life."
Pam Shriver - Former Player - Professional Tennis Player, International Tennis Hall of Fame
“Coach Mike Gennette is one of the most competent, skilled, and passionate college tennis coaches in the country. Mike runs a program where a tennis player can become not just a better athlete and player, but more importantly, become a better person.”
