Wingate's Cabana Named ITA National Women's Tennis Coach of the Year

STORY COURTESY OF WINGATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Altamonte Springs, Fla.----Wingate University head tennis coach Michael Cabana has been named the Division II women's tennis National Coach of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The ITA national awards were announced at Monday evening's banquet prior to the NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Tennis championships this week in Florida.

"Michael Cabana has done an outstanding job as our tennis coach at Wingate University," Wingate vice-president and director of athletics Steve Poston says. "The success of his teams on the court is unequaled. What often goes unrecognized is the success of his student-athletes beyond the tennis courts both in the classroom and in the community. To be recognized has the ITA National Women's Coach of the Year is well deserved. Coach Cabana has the unique ability to challenge his players to reach their full potential as tennis players while also teaching them the importance of growing as a person. He see the tennis court as important as the classroom where he teaches important life lessons to the student-athletes under his care."

Cabana is the fourth Wingate head coach to earn National Coach of the Year honors this decade. Head men's and women's swimming coach Kirk Sanocki was named the Men's Swimming National Coach of the Year in 2012, while earning the honor on the women's side in 2016. Volleyball coach Shelton Collier was named the AVCA National Coach of the Year in 2013. Gary Hamill and his staff earned NSCAA National Coaching Staff of the Year accolades after winning the 2016 national championship.

Cabana was named the 2019 ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year on the men's and women's side last week. He has been named the Women's Tennis Southeast Region Coach of the Year on two occasions. Cabana is a 14-time South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year, earning the award eight time on the women's side and six more on the men's side. Cabana is the all-time leader in total SAC Tennis Coach of the Year awards, while winning more as a men's coach and a women's coach than any other coach in league history.  

Cabana guided the Bulldogs to a 21-2 record in the 2019 season, going 9-1 in league play. Wingate cracked the ITA top 10 for the first time in program history, while also earning the number one seed in the challenging NCAA Southeast Regional for the first time ever. Wingate earned hosting duties at the NCAA Southeast Regional Tournament for the second straight season. The Bulldogs took down sixth-ranked Columbus State early in the season, the highest ranked team Wingate has ever defeated.

The 2019 season saw the Wingate women capture the SAC Tournament championship, which is the fifth tourney title the 'Dogs have won in the last nine years. The Bulldogs have also piled up eight regular season conference championships during that span, while going undefeated in league play in seven of eight seasons with a SAC-record 76-match conference winning streak.

Cabana is 205-89 overall in 13 seasons as the Wingate women's tennis coach, going 105-16 in the SAC. He is also 197-97 on the men's side in that time, with a 102-18 league record. The Bulldogs have piled up an incredible 26 conference championships over the last 11 seasons, going a combined 378-124 during that time with a 200-14 record in the SAC. The Wingate women are 89-2 in league play since the start of the 2011 season.

Cabana took over at Wingate in the 2006-07 season, with the Bulldogs coming off a 6-15 record with a 2-5 league record. In his first two seasons the Wingate women won a total of four SAC matches, but by his third season the 'Dogs were 6-2 in league play and by season five in 2011 Wingate went a perfect 9-0 in league play to capture its first-ever outright regular season SAC title. Cabana and the Bulldogs would go on to win the next seven regular season titles, dropping just one league match in eight seasons while adding four SAC Tournament championships.

Cabana has had plenty of student-athletes earn success during his tenure. He has had 89 players earn All-SAC honors during his 13 years, with two SAC Players of the Year, six SAC Freshmen of the Year, five SAC Scholar-Athletes and two SAC Elite 20 Award winners. Six student-athletes have earned Academic All-America honors. This season, Wingate had the ITA Southeast Region Men's and Women's Rookies of the Year and the Senior Female Player of the Year. The Bulldogs also had the region's ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award winner for the second straight year. Wingate had the national winner last year in Sydney Homan.

2019 ITA National Award Winners
 
Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year
Men: Joshua Cobble (Cameron University)
Women: Michael Cabana (Wingate University)
 
ITA Assistant Coach of the Year
Men: Fabio Minami (Queens College NY)
Women: Vanessa Taveras (Texas A&M Kingsville)
 
Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award
Men: Robin Moeller (Georgia College)
Women: Paolo Carpio (Saint Edward's University)
 
ITA Rookie of the Year
Men: Bruno Faletto (Saint Leo's University)
Women: Isabella Dunlap (University of Central Oklahoma)
 
ITA Player to Watch
Men: Angel Palacios (Midwestern State University)
Women: Jill Van Den Dungen (Southwest Baptist University)
 
ITA Most Improved Senior
Men: Raul Caballero (Southwest Baptist University)
Women: Carolin Schmidt (Barry University)
 
ITA Senior Player of the Year
Men: KP Pannu (Columbus State)
Women: Leolia Jeanjean (Lynn University)
 
ABOUT THE ITA

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is committed to serving college tennis and returning the leaders of tomorrow. As the governing body of college tennis, the ITA oversees men's and women's varsity tennis at NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College divisions. The ITA administers a comprehensive awards and rankings program for men's and women's varsity players, coaches and teams in all divisions, providing recognition for their accomplishments on and off the court. For more information on the ITA, visit the ITA website at www.itatennis.com , like the ITA on Facebook or follow @ITA_Tennis on Twitter and Instagram.www.itatennis.com.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
A comprehensive, independent and growing university, Wingate serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina. Founded in 1896, the University offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as graduate and professional programs. Wingate is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences. Wingate blends in-class exploration with out-of-class application to deliver an uncommon and life-changing educational experience.
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 13 years. Wingate is first in the 2000s among NCAA Division II and North Carolina's colleges and universities with 106 CoSIDA Academic All-America® selections. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 115 lifetime Academic All-America® honorees. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com. Current news and videos can be found at www.wingate.edu.