WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Monmouth University Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Marilyn McNeil has announced the hiring of Chris Leicht as the head coach of the men's tennis program. Leicht comes to Monmouth from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, where he served as head coach for both the men's and women's programs for 16 seasons.

Leicht amassed a combined record of 492-109 (.818 winning percentage), leading the women's squad to twelve straight Freedom Conference crowns while the men won eleven in a row. Each of those conference titles gave the programs an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. During his time as the men's coach, Leicht coached 60 all-conference selections, including six rookies of the Year and six Player of the Years.

"Monmouth University is excited to welcome Coach Leicht and his family to West Long Branch," said McNeil. "Coach Leicht has an incredible record of winning tennis championships. His ability to lead young men to competitive heights is a perfect fit for a team that has proven to be one of the elite programs in the MAAC. We look forward to continued success under his leadership!"

Last season, the Wilkes men reached the second round of the NCAA Championships after defeating Colby-Sawyer College in the first round. In 2016-17, the Wilkes men finished with a school-record 23 wins while the women collected a program-best 24 victories on way to conference titles. In addition to the on-court accolades, Leicht also led his team to many academic awards. His teams were named ITA All-American Academic teams fifteen times.

The Hawks are coming off three consecutive MAAC Tournament Championships and NCAA appearances. The team fell to No. 16 Columbia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this season after compiling a perfect 7-0 regular season conference record. Rising senior Nicola Pipoli won MAAC Player of the Year, while freshman Will Cooke Wharton was named MAAC Rookie of the Year in April. Previous head coach Alex Kasarov accepted a position with his alma mater Wisconsin in late June.

Monmouth is scheduled to begin the 2018-19 season in September. Follow @MUMTennis on Twitter for updates.