Shields named 2019 MW Coach of the Year

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Fresno State men's tennis coach Luke Shields was named the 2019 Mountain West Men's Tennis Coach of the Year, the league announced Friday afternoon. Coach of the Year is voted on by the eight MW head coaches.

"It's an honor," Shields said. "I look at every achievement and award that our program earns as a team a effort. We've received a lot of awards this year, and it has really been a group effort from every member of our team and staff. I have the best assistant coach in Steve Loop and an amazing volunteer coach in Alec Bessinger."

Shields has earned the honor twice in the last three seasons, becoming the fifth coach in conference history to earn multiple coach of the year awards in their career. He became the first coach in program history to earn the prestigious award in 2017.

Shields is in his fourth season at the helm of the program, and the Bulldogs have made strides forward under his leadership.

This season, Fresno State (18-10, 5-2 MW) won its first-ever Mountain West Championship and earned its first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2012.

The Bulldogs entered the MW Championship as the No. 3 seed, making it three consecutive seasons that Fresno State has entered as the fourth seed or better. Fresno State blanked No. 6 Nevada 4-0 in the quarterfinals, before pulling off a 4-2 upset over No. 2 Utah State to advance to the championship match. Fresno State defeated No. 3 San Diego State 4-2 in a hard-fought championship match to hoist up the trophy in front of a home crowd.

Two Bulldogs received All-MW accolades in April, three total awards were taken home by Fresno State. Zdenek Derkas was named the MW Player of the Year, Fresno State's first MW Player of the Year since joining the conference, after finishing conference play with a perfect 7-0 record at the No. 1 position. Derkas also earned All-MW Singles Team honors, along with teammate Angus Bradshaw.

Fresno State has logged 18-plus wins for the third straight season this year. Throughout the last three years, the Bulldogs have owned a 16-5 record in league play and reached the MW championship in back-to-back seasons.

Shields was named the eighth head coach in the history of the Fresno State men's tennis program in 2015 after spending the previous two seasons as an associate head coach at his alma mater, Boise State, where he was a three-time collegiate All-American.

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Fresno State Athletics

Shields named 2019 MW Coach of the Year

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