Andrew Girard

Head Tennis Coach

Alma Mater	Michigan Tech, '00
Bachelor's Degree(s)	biological sciences, education

Andrew Girard is in his fifth year as head coach of the women's tennis program at Carnegie Mellon University. The 29-year-old brings with him an impressive combination of tennis experience, energy, and enthusiasm that he believes will help lead the school into a new era of expectation and achievement.

"We are raising the bar for Carnegie Mellon tennis both on and off the courts," Girard said. "Every year I will expect us to be one of the top 25 Division III teams in the country, and equally important, to receive team and individual Academic All-America accolades."

The 2006-07 season saw the Tartans ranked as high as #10 and finish with a ranking of #19, the third straight year the team finished ranked in the top 20. The year ended with the team making the NCAA tournament for the third straight season advancing to the second round. Amy Staloch won the ITA Regional Championship and finished third at nationals, while pairing with Mona Iyer to finish third at the ITA National Doubles Tournament, earning both All-America status for the third year. Including the men's program, Girard has had players named All-America 11 times.

In the fall of 2005 the women's team earned a national ranking of 12, highlighted by Staloch's ITA National Singles Championsip. The year ended with both Staloch and Iyer reaching the NCAA Doubles Semifinals and Staloch competing in the NCAA Singles Round of 16. Also in 2006, Staloch was named the UAA Most Valuable Player and Girard took home the Coaching Staff of the Year award.

Under Girard's tutelage, Carnegie Mellon qualified for their first ever NCAA Team Championship in the spring of 2005 and followed that with a 2006 appearance. The team advanced to the round of 16 both years, earning a #13 national ranking to end the 2006 season. The women's team has a 56-29 overall dual match record in the past four seasons.

In just four years, Girard has coached many to individual honors including Staloch and Iyer, as they earned All-America honors following their doubles runner-up finish at the ITA Nationals in 2004. Staloch was also named a singles All-America after advancing to the NCAA semifinals in the spring of '05.

In 2005, both Staloch and Girard were honored by the University Athletic Association following league play as they were named Rookie of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year, respectively.

The women's team has also earned numerous off the court honors over the last four seasons, being named an ITA All-Academic Team each year. A total of 22 players were honored as ITA Scholar Athletes, among the highest totals for Division III during that time. Also earning recognition was Iyer with the ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award.

Girard came to Carnegie Mellon from Northern Michigan University, where he served as an assistant for their nationally ranked women's tennis team. While at NMU, the team qualified for the Division II National Championship and reached the round of 16. NMU was ranked as high as #24 in the country and #2 in the Midwest region.

In addition to collegiate coaching experience, Girard has had extensive work with junior tennis development. He has been in charge of the junior tennis programs in Marquette, Michigan, for the last twelve summers. He also served as an assistant coach for the Marquette Senior High School boys tennis team for six seasons, and in each of those seasons the team won the Upper Peninsula State Championship.

Girard played his collegiate tennis for Michigan Technological University. While at MTU, he was named to the all-conference team three times, and was named the team MVP for the 1999-2000 season, the year in which the team compiled the most victories in the program's fifty year history. Girard is among the school's all-time leaders in singles and doubles wins. A two-time Academic All-America selection, he finished with a 4.00 GPA and received a bachelor's degree from MTU in biological sciences. Girard later returned and received an education degree, and spent a year at Marquette Senior High School as a teacher of both chemistry and AP chemistry.

Office Phone Number: 412-268-5179

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