By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Already arguably the greatest Golden Eagle to ever hit the courts in Cookeville, Edu Mena will now carve out a new chapter in the tale of Tennessee Tech tennis. Having built himself as the program's all-time winningest player while donning the purple and gold, Mena's transition into the TTU coaching side of the equation has featured a variety of roles, first serving as a volunteer assistant for the 2018-19 season before holding the title as graduate assistant coach for the 2019-20 campaign.
Now, as the two-time Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year enters his third year on Kenny Doyle's staff, Mena will hold a new post as part of his rapid rise through the Golden Eagle coaching ranks with the announcement of his hiring as full-time assistant coach.
"Becoming the assistant coach here at Tennessee Tech definitely means a lot to me," Mena expressed. "It's an opportunity to try and keep building on the success of the team that I played for, which is something that is special when you think about it. I have learned a lot from [head] coach Kenny [Doyle] and [former assistant coach] Rogerio Riberio over the last couple of years and hopefully I can keep improving and getting better as a coach. I'm excited for the year to start and to work with our great group of players."
Since Mena put on the coaching hat following a storied playing career that concluded in the spring of 2018, the Golden Eagles haven't skipped a beat when it comes to the club's conference dominance. In Mena's first season helping guide the purple and gold as a volunteer assistant in 2019, Tech seized both the OVC's regular season and tournament crown for the program's fourth straight tourney title and seventh regular-season championship in the last nine years.
As a graduate assistant coach in 2020, Mena was part of a Kenny Doyle led TTU staff that appeared to have the Golden Eagles well on their way to another shot at conference glory before the remainder of the season was cancelled due to COVID-19. After an 0-3 start at the hands of three nationally ranked teams, Tech kicked it into high gear with wins in five of the last six matches, highlighted by a four-match winning streak at the time the campaign was called.
"I couldn't be more excited to have Edu take on the role of full-time assistant coach," Tech head coach Kenny Doyle claimed. "He is a winner and already has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to our returning players, which is a huge plus for our team. We were in the middle of one of our best seasons in 2020, and with Edu's leadership, I believe he can help take our group to an even higher level in the near future."
An illustrious career on the courts from 2014-18, Mena racked up a program-best 153 combined singles and doubles victories, 10 more than the next closest TTU player in school history. The Bultrago del Lozoya, Spain native is the only Golden Eagle to eclipse the century mark in career singles wins, accumulating an overall record of 105-37 (.739), 19 more nods than the next closest player in program history.
A four-time All-OVC performer, Mena is the only Golden Eagle to ever see his name appear three different times on the top-ten single-season singles wins list. His 33 victories in the 2015-16 campaign are the most ever in one year of Tennessee Tech tennis, and in OVC action, Mena took his game to another level with a career conference mark of 26-2, a winning percentage of .929.
Always a flair for the dramatic, Mena compiled 26 victories against "Power 5" competition, as well as 10 wins against nationally ranked opponents throughout his TTU tenure. He was ranked as high as No. 28 in the nation by the Oracle Intercollegiate Tennis Association in November 2017, the highest ranking in school history, surpassing his own preseason ranking of No. 33 from September 2017.
"What I hope the success I had in my career shows our guys that they can not only excel in the OVC, but also on a national stage while playing at Tech," Mena said. "I think I am most excited about continuing to work with this group of players. We a have a lot of experience returning to our roster and we have the potential to have one of the best teams that I have seen in my seven years with this program. We will aim to grow as a team and continue to make a name for Tennessee Tech in the world of college tennis."
Photo by Thomas Corhern