Dave Hayden was named the Gators’ new head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis programs in August 2021.
Hayden arrived in Meadville after having spent the previous six seasons as the head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis programs at nearby Westminster, a fellow NCAA Division III member.
At Westminster, Hayden led the Titan women to a pair of NCAA Division III Championship appearances while capturing the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) title twice. He was also named the PAC Women’s Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2020. In six seasons, Hayden mentored over 40 All-PAC honorees. In addition to his coaching duties, Hayden served as a NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis national committee member.
Prior to Westminster, Hayden served as the head coach of Baldwin High School in Pittsburgh for eight years. During that time, he was named the 2013 High School Coach of the Year by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Allegheny Mountain District. Additionally, Hayden also served as the Director of Tennis and Owner of Pittsburgh based S.W.A.T. Tennis Academy. At S.W.A.T., Hayden provided instruction and programming for junior players and adults ranging from beginners to tournament level players. In that role, he also served as a USTA tournament director for large events and was named the 2010 USTA/AMD Tournament Director of the Year. He also served as the Tournament Team Director for the Upper Saint Clair Tennis Development Program.
In addition to coaching, Hayden is the owner and CEO of Hayden Management Group, which is a sports marketing and recruiting firm that provides recruiting and career consulting services in the sports industry.
Hayden graduated from Point Park University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Management. He was recipient of Point Park’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2003, and also served on the university’s Alumni Board of Directors.
Allegheny Career Coaching Highlights
2024-25 Men
- NCAA Championships First Round Victory
- NCAA Championships Appearance
- PAC Champions
- PAC Coach of the Year
- PAC Player of the Year: Anton Hedlund
- PAC Newcomer of the Year: Kristian Janci
- Six All-PAC Singles: Anton Hedlund (1st), Kristian Janci (1st), Levente Mihaly (1st), Javier Benjarano Jimenez (2nd), David Rodriguez (2nd), Olivier Erkens (HM)
- Three All-PAC Doubles: Anton Hedlund/Kristian Janci (1st), David Rodriguez/Arick Baldwin (1st), Bendek Kaibas/Levente Mihaly (2nd)
2024-25 Women
- NCAA Championships Appearance
- PAC Champions
- Six All-PAC Singles: Emiliia Grynieva (1st), Julia Müsseler (1st), Rei Etsumi (2nd), Maria Lounder (2nd), Nicole Serna Cassan (2nd), Alejandra Villanueva (2nd)
- Three All-PAC Doubles: Julia Müsseler/Evie Ellenberger (1st), Rei Etsumi/Nicole Serna Cassan (2nd), Emiliia Grydnieva/Adriana Navarro (HM)
2023-24 Men
- NCAA Championships First Round Victory
- NCAA Championships Appearance
- PAC Coach of the Year
- PAC Champions
- PAC Player of the Year: Anton Hedlund
- Six All-PAC Singles: Anton Hedlund (1st), David Rodriguez (1st), Will Jarvie (2nd), Benedek Kaibas (2nd), Evan Nelson (2nd), Mitchell Curtis (HM)
- Three All-PAC Doubles: Anton Hedlund/David Rodriguez (1st), Will Jarvie/Benedek Kaibas (1st), Evan Nelson/Reid Stastolla (HM)
2023-24 Women
- PAC Runner-Up
- Four All-PAC Singles: Emiliia Grynieva (1st), Jean-Arlette Legrand (1st), Rei Etsumi (2nd), Noelle Kidd (2nd)
- Three All-PAC Doubles: Allison Riley/Sabrina Rodriguez (2nd), Jean-Arlette Legrand/Maria Lounder (2nd), Rei Etsumi/Emiliia Grydnieva (2nd)
2022-23 Men
- NCAA Championships Appearance
- ITA/Wilson Central Region Coach of the Year
- PAC Coach of the Year
- PAC Champions
- PAC Player of the Year: Anton Hedlund
- PAC Newcomer of the Year: Ethan Carr
- Six All-PAC Singles: Anton Hedlund (1st), Ethan Carr (1st), Adam Shinomiya (1st), Julien Voisey (2nd), David Rodriguez (2nd), Will Jarvie (2nd)
- Three All-PAC Doubles: Anton Hedlund/Ethan Carr (1st), David Rodroiguez/Julien Voisey (1st), Guillaume Emiliano Loinard-Ganzalez (2nd)
- Regionally Ranked: Anton Hedlund
2022-23 Women
- NCAA Championships First Round Victory
- NCAA Championships Appearance
- PTR Pennsylvania Coach of the Year
- PAC Coach of the Year
- PAC Champions
- Six All-PAC Singles: Jean-Arlette Legrand (1st), Katherine Marks (1st), Ella Swan (1st), Ryan Cox (2nd), Maria Lounder (2nd), Sabrina Rodriguez (2nd)
- Three All-PAC Doubles: Jean-Arlette Legrand/Ella Swan (1st), Katherine Marks/Maria Lounder (1st), Ryan Cox/Sabrina Rodriguez (HM)
2021-22 Men
- Seventh-place at NCAC Championships
- All-NCAC Singles: Anton Hedlund (1st)
- All-NCAC Doubles: Anton Hedlund/Julien Voisey (HM)
- Regionally Ranked: Anton Hedlund
2021-22 Women
- Eighth-place at NCAC Championships
- All-NCAC Singles: Jean-Arlette Legrand (HM)
- All-NCAC Doubles: Jean-Arlette Legrand/Ella Swan (HM)
