ITHACA, N.Y. – Bill Austin, the Ithaca College men's and women's tennis head coach for the past 20 seasons, has announced that he will retire. Austin guided the tennis programs to more than 400 match victories during the 20-year stretch and 20 combined conference titles – 14 for women, six for men.
 
"Congratulations to Coach Bill Austin for his 20-year tenure at Ithaca College, along with a career that has taken him through Hamilton, Colgate and Cornell," said Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Susan Bassett '79. 
 
"Coach Austin has guided IC Tennis with a steady hand and a philosophy grounded in the scholar-athlete ideal. The program's achievements reflect his leadership and commitment. He has been a strong mentor for his students and a great teammate for his colleagues. I wish Bill and his family all the best as he moves to the next phase of his life," Bassett continued.

Austin earned his 200th victory as the men's head coach in 2018-19 and surpassed that milestone on the women's side in 2016-17.
 
"When Tim Faulkner brought me on campus in 1995, little did I know that I'd have the privilege of coaching tennis at Ithaca College for the last 20 seasons," said Austin. "IC is, and always will be, about people, and the people at IC are the best in the business."

He guided the women's program through a prolific run in Empire 8 competition, as the team secured 11 straight Empire 8 Championships in earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament from 2006-07 through 2016-17. He guided the IC women to their first trip to the NCAA Championships in 2006-07, defeating Simmons in a first-round match for the program's initial NCAA playoff victory. In 2009, the Bombers returned to the NCAA regional semifinals and reached that round again. In total, the Bombers have posted a 6-11 mark in NCAA Tournament competition during the run.

Austin led Ithaca to 57 straight wins over Empire 8 opposition from 2004 through 2011, recording the longest conference winning streak in any Empire 8 sport since the league's inception. He was named Empire 8 Coach of the Year four times on the men's side and 11 times on the women's side.
 
Austin is the winningest coach in the history of both the men's and women's tennis programs. On the men's side he coached the program's first All-Americans ever, the doubles team of Taylor Borda and Josh Rifkin.

Austin came to Ithaca from Hamilton College, where he served as head coach of the men's and women's tennis and men's and women's squash teams. At Hamilton, Austin led the women's tennis team to a two-year record of 18-3, including a 10-1 mark in 1999 and a third-place finish at the 1999 NYSWCAA Tournament, earning NYSWCAA Coach of the Year honors. His men's tennis record was 14-12. The women's squash team won the 1999 Howe Cup, signifying the small school national championship. The Hamilton women's squash team went 25-12 in its last two years under Austin, and the men's team compiled a 10-20 record.
 
Before coaching at Hamilton, Austin worked in Ithaca's office of admissions as assistant to the director. He also assisted with the men's and women's tennis programs, helping the women's team to a 10-1 record in 1995.

Austin has also served as head squash coach at Colgate University and was the director of men's racquet sports and head men's tennis and men's squash coach at Cornell University. The Big Red's squash team was ranked as high as fifth nationally during his tenure. Austin was the executive director of the National Intercollegiate Squash Racquets Association from 1995-97.
 
"Throughout almost 40 years on court, I've been blessed with great coaching mentors and colleagues that have helped to foster a tremendous camaraderie and sense of family. To all the assistant coaches that have been alongside me through countless practices and matches; to all the administrators that gave me the opportunity to work under them; and to all the players that I've had the honor to have on court and that I learned so very much from; and to my family, that put up with my crazy coaching schedule, I say thank you, from the bottom of my heart. It's always a great day to be a Bomber!" concluded Austin.
 
Along with the retirement announcement of Austin, assistant coach Chris Hayes '16, has been elevated to assume the head coaching responsibilities for both programs for the upcoming 2020-21 season.
 
Hayes completed his third year as an assistant in 2019-20. Prior to his return to South Hill, Hayes was an assistant at Division I Mercer University in Macon, Ga. for 18 months.
 
"I am pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Hayes '16 as the next leader for Ithaca College men's and women's tennis," stated Bassett. "As a graduate of IC and four-year member of our men's tennis team, serving the past two years as our assistant coach, I am confident in Chris' understanding of IC Athletics values and expectations. Chris added a spark for the program and increased our recruiting effectiveness in his role. I look forward to the Coach Hayes era for IC Tennis."

Over his first two seasons back at Ithaca, Hayes assisted in helping the men's program to back-to-back postseason appearances in the Liberty League Tournament, which included the program's first-ever postseason win since joining the league in a 5-3 triumph over Vassar in 2018-19. He has helped tutor men's team players to three Liberty League honorees in each of the past two seasons. On the women's side, Hayes assisted in guiding the program to its first postseason appearance in the Liberty League this past spring, keying a two-win improvement in Liberty League matches in 2018-19.
 
"I would like to thank Director of Athletics, Susan Bassett, for this tremendous opportunity," said Hayes.  "I'd also like to thank Coach Bill Austin for being a great mentor over the years. He has helped guide me through my playing days and as an assistant coach for him for the past three years."
 
"To Coach Austin, congratulations on your retirement. This program has a rich tradition of success on and off the court and I look forward to continuing that success," expressed Hayes.
 
Hayes has worked with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in several capacities over the last several years. Most notably, he served as an intern in the junior tournaments department during the summer of 2015. The previous summer he worked as a press aide and player liaison at the Linda Bogdan Memorial Futures Tournament.
 
"I couldn't be happier that Chris Hayes will be promoted to take over as Ithaca College Head Tennis Coach, and I am confident that he'll take the program to new heights!" Austin added.
 
On an individual instruction level, he served as a tennis professional at the Nassau Country Club during this past summer. While at Nassau CC, he worked with varying age groups from children-to-seniors, planning technical instruction and teaching lessons.
 
Hayes was a four-year standout for the IC tennis program from 2012-13 to 2015-16. He earned Empire 8 All-Conference First-Team honors during each of his four seasons in singles, while he was a two-time Empire 8 All-Conference First-Team honoree in doubles (2013, 2015). Hayes served as a captain during his final two years with the program. He became the 10th player in program history to reach the century mark for wins, currently ranking in sixth place with 108 career triumphs. He amassed 61 of those victories in singles, which currently ranks third-best in the program's history.
 
A native of Brighton, N.Y., Hayes graduated from Ithaca with a Bachelor of Science in sports media, while earning his master's degree in higher education leadership from Mercer.