GRANVILLE, Ohio-- Denison University Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Nan Carney-DeBord has announced the hiring of David Schilling as the college's next head men's tennis coach. Schilling takes over for Peter Burling who announced his retirement in March after 30 years at Denison.
"We are thrilled to welcome David Schilling back home to Denison University," said Carney-DeBord, a 1980 Denison graduate. "I also had the opportunity to return to my alma mater after a career in coaching and there is something so special about coming home and being 100 percent invested in a community that you love. I have a feeling that David's love of Denison combined with his coaching prowess will mesh perfectly with our model of competitive excellence."
A 1989 Denison graduate and one of the most accomplished tennis players in the history of the program, Schilling comes to Denison after 20 years as an assistant coach at Ohio State. With Schilling on staff, Ohio State ascended to the top of the Big Ten and became a top-five program at the NCAA Division I level. The Buckeyes are currently riding a streak of 14 consecutive Big Ten championships, dating back to 2019. Since 2016 Ohio State men's tennis has compiled a record of 146-16 (.901). In 2018, the Buckeyes advanced to the Division I national championship match
In 2010, Schilling was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year and in 2012 he coached Chase Buchanan and Blaz Rola to the NCAA Doubles Championship. The following year, Rola won the NCAA Singles Championship.
"I am grateful and humbled by the opportunity to lead the men's tennis program at Denison University," said Schilling. "Throughout the process, I could sense the incredible excitement that surrounds the University and I feel that I am arriving at a very special time in the school's history."
"I want to thank Athletic Director Nan Carney-DeBord, Gregg Parini, and the entire search committee for their exhaustive efforts during the search. I appreciate their faith in me, and I look forward to becoming part of the Denison Community. I also want to acknowledge the incredible career of Peter Burling. Over 700 wins coaching the men's and women's tennis teams have set a remarkable standard and I look forward to stewarding the next era of Denison tennis."
Prior to joining the coaching staff at Ohio State, Schilling was the head men's tennis coach at Kenyon College from 1994-99 where he guided the Lords to the North Coast Athletic Championship in 1995 while being ranked in the top-25 of the Division III rankings for five-straight seasons. Schilling went 87-36 (.707) with the Lords, ranking him second in career wins.
He also spent two seasons as the assistant men's and women's tennis coach from 1992-94 at Denison and was the assistant men's tennis coach at the College of Wooster from 1989-92.
Schilling graduated from Denison in 1989 with a degree in economics and went on to earn his master's in sports management from Ohio State in 1994. A four-year member of the Denison men's tennis team, he was a five-time All-NCAC honoree and was one of only 10 singles players named to the NCAC 10th Anniversary All-Decade Team in 1993. The Big Red captured four-straight NCAC Championships while Schilling was a member of the squad.
Denison men's tennis has made eight appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament and has won 12 NCAC Championships while being nationally ranked in 21 of the last 31 seasons.
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