AUBURN, Ala.—Jordan Szabo (SAY-bo), a two-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Assistant Coach of the Year, has been named Auburn women's tennis head coach, Athletics Director John Cohen announced Friday. A former men's tennis player at Texas A&M, Szabo has been the associate head women's coach at his alma mater for the past two seasons and is in his seventh season with the women's program in College Station.
"Jordan is an outstanding evaluator/recruiter, has been a direct part of championships, and cares deeply about the development of student-athletes both on and off the tennis court," Cohen said. "We are extremely excited to have Jordan and his wife Grace join the Auburn family."
Szabo has helped the Aggie women to three consecutive Southeastern Conference regular season titles, four straight conference tournament final appearances, while in the NCAA Tournament they have reached the Elite Eight the last two seasons and Sweet 16 every year since 2019.
"I am so excited to be the head women's tennis coach at Auburn," Szabo said. "I will give my all to Auburn and the women's tennis program and be relentless in my dedication to helping the student-athletes develop and elevating the program further with the goal of winning championships."
This season, Texas A&M has posted a 22-7 overall record en route to sharing the SEC regular season title while hosting NCAA opening rounds for the third consecutive year as the nation's No. 13 overall seed. The Aggies' Mary Stoiana and Lucciana Perez were named SEC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, respectively.
The No. 1 player in the nation, Stoiana became the first Aggie to win SEC Player of the Year last season, and now has received the honor in back-to-back years. She also became the first player to win the award in consecutive seasons since 2016. Perez became the first player in school history to win SEC Freshman of the Year.
Szabo has helped guide the Aggies to winning seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances in every year of his tenure, including a national quarterfinal finish in the 2022 and 2023 season. He also played a key role in the development of A&M All-Americans Tatiana Makarova, Jayci Goldsmith and Carson Branstine, helping guide the trio to six combined ITA All-America designations in a two-year span.
Following an illustrious playing career with the Aggies from 2012-15, Szabo began his coaching career at Texas A&M as a student assistant. After serving one year as a student assistant under Aggie men's tennis coach Steve Denton, Szabo accepted an assistant coaching position with the Texas Tech men's program before ultimately returning to College Station as a women's tennis assistant under current head coach Mark Weaver.
Since his return, Szabo was named the ITA Texas Region Assistant Coach of the Year and an ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year finalist in 2019. Following a program-record 33-2 campaign in 2022, Szabo was named the ITA Texas Region Assistant Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, eventually taking home the ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year award later in the offseason. In 2023, after another undefeated SEC regular season run, Szabo earned back-to-back ITA Texas Region Assistant Coach of the Year and ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year honors.
An exceptional recruiting coordinator under Weaver, Szabo played a key role in signing three top-three recruiting classes in each of A&M's last three cycles. The Aggies landed the No. 2 group in 2018 followed by yet another No. 2 class in 2021 according to the Tennis Recruiting Network spring rankings. The Aggies' signing class in 2022 took home the No. 3 ranking according to TRN and featured a pair of athletes with Universal Tennis Ratings above 10.40. He is responsible for signing seven blue-chip prospects, also adding five-star American players and impressive international talent.
Szabo served as a student assistant coach for the Aggies in 2016. Texas A&M picked up 27 wins before dropping a 4-3 decision to Texas in the NCAA Tournament Second Round. He has worked alongside multiple Aggie men's tennis legends, including Austin Krajicek, who won the 2023 French Open Doubles Championship after making it to the finals a year earlier. Krajicek has been ranked by the ATP as high as world No. 1 which was first achieved in 2023.
Szabo spent the 2016-17 season as the assistant coach for the Texas Tech men's tennis program. He helped direct the Red Raiders to the 2017 Big 12 Tournament championship match as Texas Tech knocked off both No. 6 Baylor and No. 8 Oklahoma State before falling to No. 4 TCU. Szabo helped guide Jolan Callieau to All-America honors after reaching the NCAA Individual Championship Singles Round of 16, becoming only the fourth Red Raider to earn All-America status. The Red Raiders' doubles team of Bjorn Thomson and Connor Curry competed in the NCAA Doubles Championship and was No. 18 in the final doubles' rankings under Szabo's tutelage.
After joining Weaver's staff with the Texas A&M women's tennis program in 2017-18 as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, the Aggies finished 17-11 and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Szabo helped bring in one of the nation's best recruiting classes and put the Aggies in position for a stellar 2019 season as A&M finished with a 24-8 record and landed both Goldsmith and Katya Townsend on the All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Freshman team. The Aggies upset Texas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to reach the Round of 16 for the first time in Szabo's assistant coaching career.
Texas A&M began the 2020 season with high hopes, but the season was unfortunately cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Texas A&M posted a 21-8 overall record, undefeated record in SEC home matches, and a trip to the SEC Tournament Championship Match for the first time in program history. A&M capped off its stellar season with a trip to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 and saw both Makarova and Goldsmith earn ITA All-America honors in doubles while Makarova also drew All-America laurels in singles. Szabo played a key role in coaching Makarova as A&M's only letterwinner to earn All-America designation in both singles and doubles in the same season.
The Aggies followed their 2021 campaign up with the most dominant season in program history, amassing a 33-2 overall record with a perfect 13-0 mark in league play. Szabo was a part of the only coaching staff in A&M history to record multiple victories against SEC-powerhouse programs Florida, Georgia and Vanderbilt in a single season. The Aggies' stunning 7-0 defeat of Georgia on the road in Athens propelled A&M to its highest ranking since the national championship match in 2013.
In addition, Szabo helped guide Texas A&M to its second-best NCAA Tournament finish in program annals, reaching the National Quarterfinals. In the postseason, Makarova and Goldsmith were named ITA Doubles All-Americans for the second time in their careers, while Branstine took home her first ITA Singles All-America honor. Szabo's support of Weaver was rewarded by the ITA in the postseason, as Szabo became A&M's second national award winner by taking home the 2022 ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year award.
A native of Bayswater, Victoria, Australia, Szabo's tennis career began at an early age, at local tennis courts located behind his home. His love for the game blossomed and he eventually began training with the national tennis academy through the Tennis Australia Federation. Szabo advanced to the Round of 16 in the Australian Open Juniors and finished his youth career rated as one of the top-five players in Australia.
While a student-athlete at Texas A&M, Szabo was a part of 82 dual match victories from 2012-15. The Aggies secured four NCAA Tournament trips during his career, highlighted by an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2015 and a NCAA Sweet 16 berth in 2013. A&M also captured the 2015 Southeastern Conference regular season championship in addition to the 2014 and 2015 SEC Tournament titles and 2013 SEC Western Division crown.
Szabo picked up 73 career doubles victories fueled by a trio of 20-win seasons and highlighted by a final No. 56 doubles ranking in 2015, qualifying for the NCAA Doubles championships in the process. Szabo tallied 56 singles wins for the Aggies over the course of his collegiate tenure, earning 2014 SEC All-Tournament Team honors.
A 2016 graduate of Texas A&M with a degree in sports management, Szabo is married to Grace Wright, a former member of the Texas A&M soccer team.
Athletics Director John Cohen Quote
"During our search process, we talked to many who had a great knowledge of Jordan's background. Three things became apparent: Jordan is an outstanding evaluator/recruiter, has been a direct part of championships, and cares deeply about the development of student-athletes both on and off the tennis court. Three straight SEC regular season titles and back-to-back national assistant coach of the year honors say a great deal about his experience. We are extremely excited to have Jordan and his wife Grace join the Auburn family."
Head Coach Jordan Szabo Quote
"I am so excited to be the head women's tennis coach at Auburn. I will give my all to Auburn and the women's tennis program and be relentless in my dedication to helping the student-athletes develop and elevating the program further with the goal of winning championships.
"I would like to thank John Cohen, Rich McGlynn, Lee VanHorn, Djenane Paul, Casey Page and the Auburn administrative team for the incredible opportunity they have given me. I would not be in this position without the love and support of my wife Grace, and my parents Alex and Sandra. They have done everything for me, and I cannot thank them enough.
"I would also like to thank Mark Weaver for the trust he put in me seven years ago and for the friendship and mentorship he has given me throughout those successful years. Lastly, I would like to thank Steve Denton, Bob McKinley and Kevin O'Shea as my college coaches who have always been there for me. Texas A&M has been my whole adult life, and I owe it my sincerest gratitude."