Cory Hubbard was appointed as the Director of Tennis on January 2, 2013. Hubbard, a former standout for Texas A&M, made an immediate impact on the MU men's tennis program during his two year and a half at the helm, reviving the program to winning ways, leading the Hawks to the conference finals in 2014 and 2015.
Hubbard guided his squad to its second-straight 15-win season and finished the league schedule with a perfect 7-0 mark, claiming the MAAC Regular Season Championship, the program’s first conference title in 20 years. Hubbard mentored Victor Pugliese to his second-straight MAAC Player of the Year honor, while adding sophomore Bee Kumthonkittikul, newcomer Ale Gomez Estrada and his top-two doubles flights to the all-league first team. Pugliese, who competed in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Men's All-American Championships, finished his MU career unbeaten in league play and was one of six players on the year to finish with double-digit victories.
In his first full year, Hubbard guided his team to a 16-8 (6-1 MAAC) record, highlighted by a 12-match winning streak that lasted six weeks. Hubbard landed four players on the All-MAAC team along with all three doubles teams, led by MAAC Player of the Year, Pugliese. Pugliese, who was slated 19th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Northeast Region Singles Rankings early in the season, finished 22-4 overall record and unbeaten in his last 16 matches. Under Hubbard tutelage, six Hawks finished with double-digit win totals, while two earned 20 overall victories, as the squad came up one win shy of the NCAA Tournament.
Last spring, the Hawks captured six victories, three of which coming at home. The 2013 campaign saw the emergence of rookie Ramy Bekhiet who notched a team-high 14 overall victories including a 9-5 record at No. 2 singles. Bekhiet, who won nine of his last 11 matches to end the year, earned conference player of the week honors once, while being recognized as the rookie of the week twice during the season. Hubbard was successful on the recruiting trails, landing the 40th-ranked class according to TennisRecruiting.net.
Hubbard arrived in West Long Branch after a two-year stint at Fordham University. While with the Rams, the Texas native led his squad to an 18-10 record in 2012, tying a school mark in wins en route to a fifth place finish and the program's first ever appearance in the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals. The squad was tabbed as the most improved program in the nation, improving by 14 wins, while Hubbard was nominated for the A-10's Coach of the Year honors. Hubbard excelled on the recruiting trail, landing the 27th-best recruiting class in nation and fifth-ranked mid-major class in 2011 according to TennisRecruiting.net. During his tenure in the Bronx, Hubbard mentored three All-Atlantic 10 selections, four ITA Regional Main Draw players, while 14 student-athletes received academic honors during his.
In addition to his on court success, Hubbard also developed and carried out facilities upgrades, improving Fordham's clubhouse and locker room as well as creating Fordham Baseline Booster Club which, similar to Monmouth's Blue/White Club, helped support the experience of the student-athlete.
Hubbard excelled at his other collegiate coaching stops as well as in the private sector. As an assistant at Texas Christian University, Hubbard helped guide the Horned Frogs to the NCAA Tournament all three seasons, while climbing to No. 13 in the country in the 2004-2005. In Fort Worth, Texas, Hubbard coached nine All-Conference USA selections, including the 2005 Conference USA Player of the Year before becoming the associate head coach at the University of Arizona in 2005-2006. With the Wildcats, who were paced by two All-PAC 10 honorees and the NCAA Singles All-American, scored the school's second ever win over USC and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Hubbard also coached the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ranked players in Alex Menichini, Dave Lingman, and Cosmin Cotet.
As the Director of USTA Elite Programs/Master Professional at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, Hubbard developed, recruited and trained high performance juniors and created individual player technical and tactical developmental plans.
Graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, Hubbard was a member of the Texas A&M tennis squad from 1996-2000. While with the team, the Aggies won a pair of Big 12 Titles (1998, 2000), while advancing to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 twice. A two-time Big 12 Conference All-Athletic Academic First Team honoree, Hubbard was also honored with the inaugural Aggie Heart Award, an awarded designed to recognize the player who exemplifies the highest standard of work ethic, sacrifice, and true dedication to the team while representing the University with value, class and humility.
