DORAL, Fla. -- Azusa Pacific men’s and women’s tennis coach Mark Bohren received his 2006 Wilson/ITA NAIA Men’s Coach of the Year award Friday night at the ITA Coaches Convention at the luxurious Doral Golf Resort & Spa for his work in building the Azusa Pacific men’s tennis program into a national powerhouse. The award was Bohren’s third Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year honor in the past 4 seasons.
Bohren guided the 2006 Cougars to the program’s fourth consecutive NAIA title match, although 2005 NAIA Champion Azusa Pacific was denied back-to-back titles in a 5-0 defeat to Auburn Montgomery, finishing the Cougars’ campaign at 26-2.
“This type of award isn’t so much an individual award for me as it is a reflection of the players in the program,” said Bohren. “I was very proud of those seniors who took Azusa Pacific tennis to 4 straight championship matches, and I give credit to the entire team as I accept this award.”
The Azusa Pacific men’s tennis program is in the midst of the most successful run in the program’s history. The Cougars have won 44 straight GSAC matches over the past 5 seasons, claiming 5 straight conference crowns and 7 of the past 8. During that span, the Cougars have compiled a 128-24 mark overall that includes 84 wins in the past 91 matches. The last time Azusa Pacific dropped a GSAC match was March 31, 2001, a 5-4 defeat at Vanguard, and the Cougars will put the streak on the line when they kick off GSAC play Feb. 17, 2007 at California Baptist.
In 2005, Bohren led the Cougars to their first ever NAIA Championship on the heels of orchestrating back-to-back NAIA runner-up finishes in 2003 and 2004, while spending all but one week as the NAIA's top-ranked team in that span.
The 2007 men’s tennis season begins Jan. 27, 2007, when Azusa Pacific visits NCAA Div. I member UC Riverside.
