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After wrapping up his third season as the women's tennis coach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, it's clear Matt McCaskill has already made his distinct mark on the program. Through the dedication and enthusiasm he brings to the team on a daily basis, he immediately made the team more competitive. Now, based on the early results, it looks like McCaskill is poised to achieve even greater things at UWM. The 2006-07 season was a stellar one for the Panthers, who won a school-record 13 matches during the season while finishing fifth in the Horizon League. The league finish was the best for the Panthers since the 1997-98 season, while the 13 wins were more than UWM had tallied in the previous five seasons combined. UWM also put together a pair of three-match winning streaks, the first time since the 1999-2000 season where the Panthers won three-straight matches. From an individual standpoint, freshman Ali O'Neal posted the best single-season in school history, collecting a school-record 19 singles wins and 20 doubles wins. Meanwhile, freshman Kelly Drvaric earned all-league honors after playing at #1 singles much of the season. McCaskill entered the collegiate coaching ranks in the middle of the 2004-05 season at UWM, knowing he faced the daunting task of turning the program around. After going winless that first season, UWM won four matches in 2005-06 and it was clear the program was on the right track. "I knew what I was getting into," McCaskill said. "I knew there was a lot of work to be done and that I was going to be building the program from scratch. But there was no question the key to getting things started was going to be recruiting, and I hit the recruiting trail running." That work on the recruiting trail led to a stellar recruiting class that helped UWM to its strong 2006-07 season. Now, McCaskill has added another strong class of players that should make the Panthers one of the deepest teams in the Horizon League. "Now I need them to continue to trust me as a coach and buy into my system," McCaskill said. "My goal is three-fold. I want to help this team be competitive in the Horizon League, succeed in the classroom and be prepared for life's challenges upon graduation." McCaskill has spent the last 15 years working in the private sector of the tennis industry. During the summer months, he is the Director of Tennis at the Racine Country Club. He has coached numerous nationally-ranked players, helping them earn college scholarships, and has been selected as a United States Tennis Association Zonal Coach for the Midwest and Missouri Valley sections. He is also a United States Professional Tennis Association Certified Tennis Professional and a member of the Wilson Advisory Staff. As a player, McCaskill was a state champion at Desmet Jesuit High School in St. Louis, Mo. He played tennis collegiately at Marquette University and Saint Louis University and then won the USTA National 5.0 Tournament at Flushing Meadows, NY in 1998. McCaskill's teams are also succeeding in the classroom. The program boasts a 100 percent graduation and retention rate while posting better than a 3.20 cumulative grade-point average through this past fall semester. Plus, four players were named to the Horizon League Honor Roll this past spring. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Matt and his wife, Kelley, reside in Whitefish Bay. They have two daughters, Madeline (5) and Lauren (3). |
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