BYU's Fisher named men's tennis coach

Patrick Fisher was named the new head men’s tennis coach at Northern Illinois, athletic director Jeff Compher announced Friday.

Fisher, most recently served as the top assistant at Brigham Young University, brings six years of NCAA Division I coaching experience to NIU, including one season in the MAC.  He began his career as an assistant coach at Western Michigan (2003-04), helping the Broncos capture the 2004 MAC Championship, along with an automatic bid into the NCAA Championships. In the MAC Championship match that season, WMU outlasted NIU, 4-3.  

“Patrick Fisher is an excellent choice to lead our men’s tennis program,” Compher said in a news release.  “His energy and passion for the job, local recruiting ties and familiarity with winning a Mid-American Conference championship program really stood out during the interview process. We

would like to welcome the Fisher’s to the Huskie family.”  

From 2004-06, the 31-year old Fisher served as both the head men’s and women’s tennis coach at Colgate University (Hamilton, N.Y.). Both squads advanced to the Patriot League Tournament semifinals in 2005 and 2006, while the men’s team cracked the top-15 of the East Region rankings during the 2005 campaign.

Fisher was excited about the opportunity to be a head coach again, and believes Northern Illinois has a great academic and athletic vision.

“I want to thank Jeff Compher, Glen Krupica (deputy director of athletics) and the entire administration at Northern Illinois for providing me with this opportunity,” said Fisher.  “NIU’s reputation speaks for itself.  We have everything you could possibly offer a student-athlete, both academically and athletically, and I’m excited to get started.”

Fisher inherits a team on the rise in the MAC. But what will be interesting to see is if he can retain what is largely considered one of the top tennis recruiting classes in the country.