SAINT LEO, Fla. – Saint Leo University Vice President of Athletics, Wellness, and Recreation Marcal Lazenby has announced the hiring of Ivan Fernandez as the new head coach of the men's and women's tennis programs. Fernandez brings nearly two decades of collegiate head coaching experience and a proven track record of competitive success and academic excellence.

Fernandez joins the Lions after spending the past eight seasons as the head women's tennis coach at the University of Texas at El Paso. During the 2024-25 season, the Miners posted a 9-9 record, highlighted by a dominant three-match win streak late in the year. That stretch included three consecutive shutout victories over Sam Houston, ULM, and Grambling State. Under his leadership, UTEP also secured its first Conference USA Championship victory since 2009, defeating Sam Houston 4-0 on April 18, 2024.

"We are thrilled to welcome Ivan to the Saint Leo family," said Lazenby. "His experience building successful programs, his commitment to academic achievement, and his passion for developing student-athletes align perfectly with our mission. Ivan's vision for the future of our tennis programs is inspiring, and we are excited to see how he leads our teams forward."

During his time in El Paso, Fernandez led the Miners to 52 victories, including 33 at home, and numerous milestone wins such as a 5-2 triumph over UTSA in 2019—the program's first conference dual-match win in three years. He coached standout student-athletes like Carlotta Mencaglia, who earned All-Conference USA Second Team singles honors in 2024-25, and Hanna Telzynska, who was named to the CUSA Women's Tennis All-Academic Team and the CSC Academic All-District Team with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Fernandez's teams set a high bar academically, leading the athletic department in GPA for four consecutive years and earning ITA All-Academic Team honors every season of his tenure. From 2021-24, UTEP women's tennis held the highest GPA among all Conference USA programs, and student-athletes like Veronika Lebisova earned CUSA All-Academic recognition multiple times.

Before UTEP, Fernandez served as head coach at NM State from 2010 to 2017. He guided the Aggies to four straight WAC Championship match appearances, capturing the 2015 conference title and securing the program's first NCAA Tournament berth. His NM State tenure also included 18 All-WAC selections, two WAC Players of the Year, and a nationally ranked doubles team. The program earned a 2017 NCAA Public Recognition Award for academic excellence.

A native of Puerto Rico, Fernandez began his collegiate coaching journey with assistant stints at NM State, Florida International, and East Tennessee State—where he helped lead the Buccaneers to an undefeated Southern Conference title and NCAA appearance in 2005. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from St. Edward's University in 1996.

"I want to thank Marcal for giving me the opportunity to take over the Tennis Programs here at Saint Leo," said Fernandez. "There is a long tradition of success here and I hope to get the Lions back on track as quickly as possible. It is an honor to be named the next Head Tennis Coach and I hope we can make everyone proud of our program".

Fernandez and his wife, Lausanne, will be relocating from El Paso as he begins this new chapter at Saint Leo.