Release courtesy of Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications
BALTIMORE, MD – Johns Hopkins Director of Athletics and Recreation Jennifer S. Baker announced the hiring of Dan Pollock as the University's head women's tennis coach today. Pollock becomes the 10th coach in program history and joins the Blue Jays after a two-year stint as the University of Maryland Women's Associate Head Coach.
"We are thrilled to welcome Daniel to Blue Jay athletics," Baker stated. "He emerged from a deep, diverse, and talented pool of candidates because of his breadth of experience as a coach, technical expertise, and comprehensive approach to player development. It will be exciting to watch him build upon our program's tradition of success, and we have no doubt he will continue to elevate and advance the competitive excellence associated with Hopkins Women's Tennis, while providing the best possible experience for our student-athletes."
Pollock helped the Terrapins to 11 wins, as well as an appearance in the 2021 Big Ten Quarterfinals, in two shortened seasons. This past season, he coached Ayana Akli, ranked 46th in the nation, to the 2021 NCAA Singles Championship. Akli was the first Terp to make the field since 2011 and she advanced to the second round. Three Terps earned All-Big Ten honors, including Freshman of the Year accolades, during his tenure. In addition, Maryland produced the ITA Atlantic Region's Most Improved Senior in 2021.
"I'm both thrilled and honored to become a member of the Johns Hopkins athletics family and be a part of one of the world's most prestigious universities," said Pollock. "This institution is obviously a very special place. I'm so thankful to Jennifer Baker, Jon Kindred, and the search committee for this opportunity and for the level of engagement, and time and effort that were clearly evident throughout this process. The holistic vision of excellence on the court, in the classroom, and in student-athlete welfare is an identity that I immediately related to and felt very comfortable with. I'm excited to connect with the team in the coming weeks, and look forward to building towards further success for the program. GO HOP!"
Prior to Maryland, Pollock spent one season as the head coach of the Butler men's tennis team. He led the Bulldogs to a program-record 21 wins, a BIG EAST semifinals appearance and a pair of All-BIG EAST honorees. Pollock began his coaching career at the University of Illinois-Chicago, where he spent two seasons as an assistant coach. He also spent a year as an assistant at the University of Hawaii-Hilo and was named the 2010 ITA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
Pollock joined the University of Idaho staff and spent one season as an assistant with the men's team before being promoted to head coach of the women's team in July 2011. He led the Vandals to a 19-8 record, an appearance in the Western Athletic Conference semifinals and the highest regional ranking (#6) in program history. He then joined the staff at Brigham Young and spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the men's team.
Pollock moved on to the University of Utah and became the associate head coach of the Utes' men's tennis team in June 2014. He helped the Utes to a 64-43 record in four seasons as well as the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 21 seasons. He coached five All-PAC 12 selections, two ITA Mountain Region Players to Watch and the 2017 ITA Mountain Region Rookie of the Year. In 2018, Pollock was named the ITA Mountain Region Assistant Coach of the Year. That August, he was named the head coach at Butler.
A native of Manchester, England, Pollock played collegiately at Anderson University before transferring to Hawaii-Hilo. He was named to the All-Pacific West Conference Team in 2006 and 2007 and helped the Vulcans to a national ranking of 27th. He was ranked as high as third in the region for doubles and ninth in singles as was named the ITA Division II Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship & Leadership Award winner in 2007.
Pollock earned his bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Hawaii-Hilo and was twice named the University's Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He earned a master's in kinesiology from the University of Illinois-Chicago.