Northwestern University Athletics
Swan Named Associate Head Coach
4/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 21, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's assistant men's tennis coach Arvid Swan has been promoted to the position of associate head coach, head coach Paul Torricelli announced Friday. Swan, who has served as assistant coach for the past three seasons, becomes the first assistant to be named associate head coach in program history.
"Arvid has truly invested himself in Northwestern men's tennis and in three years has become an integral part of our program," Torricelli said. "He takes a sincere interest in the players and has done a remarkable job in helping to develop their respective games. Just as important, Arvid is there for them off the court as a mentor and friend."
Swan assists in the day-to-day operations of the program, which include running team practices, organizing team travel, recruiting nationally and internationally and conducting individual workouts. During the summer, Swan co-directs the Nike tennis camps at Northwestern.
"He (Swan) has taken on more responsibility this year and is extremely proactive," Torricelli said. "In every sense he has earned the title of associate head coach."
Swan is one in a long line of successful assistant coaches at Northwestern. A number of assistants who served under Torricelli have since left Evanston to find success as Division I head coaches.
Adam Steinberg, who was a Wildcat assistant coach from 1995-97, went on to become head coach at the University of Alabama, and has since taken the head coaching position at Pepperdine where he has led the Waves to a No. 2 national ranking.
Jay Udwadia served as assistant coach before Swan's arrival in 2003, and took the head coaching position at Drake before accepting the head coaching position at Fresno State. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 47 in the most recent ITA poll.
Torricelli is sure Swan will one day be the next of his assistants to lead a Division I program to new heights.
"I have been fortunate to have some outstanding assistant coaches along the way, a number of whom have gone on to be extremely successful with their own programs," Torricelli said. "However, Arvid is the best I have ever worked with and he will be an outstanding head coach himself before too long."
