Link to Player Bio
Chris Hayes '16 completed his fifth season with the Ithaca College men's and women's tennis programs in a coaching capacity after the 2021-22 season. On May 21, 2020, Hayes was promoted to head coach of both programs after the retirement of Bill Austin. Hayes was hired as an assistant coach with both programs in January of 2018.
Over his first two seasons back on South Hill, 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 this past spring. 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.Â
The 2021-22 season saw the IC women's program return to the postseason where they competed in the Liberty League Championship Tournament and advanced to the semifinals after a 5-3 victory over St. Lawrence. Under the tutelage of Hayes, Taylor Crain was selected as the Liberty League Rookie of the Year after she posted a 13-5 record, which included a 6-1 record in Liberty League action. The men's program just missed out on qualifying for the postseason on the final day of the regular season. Nicholas Luis captured Liberty League Honorable Mention distinction for his singles performances across the season where he produced a 10-7 record.
A 2016 graduate of Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media, Hayes spent 18 months at Mercer University, located in Macon, Georgia. While with Mercer’s men’s program, Hayes played a primary role in organizing team practices and conditioning workouts, as well as coordinating the program’s recruiting. While with the Bears, the team posted a 22-6 record in match play during the 2016-17 campaign, which included an appearance in the Southern Conference Tournament Championship. He also helped coordinate a USTA Pro Circuit Event as an Assistant Director during his time at Mercer. Hayes graduated with a Masters in Higher Education Leadership this past semester.
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.
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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.
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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.
8/10/22
