MOORHEAD, Minn. – Following the retirement of the former Dragons tennis head coach Gary Harris, Minnesota State University Moorhead has announced the hiring of
Oliver Summers to take over the reins. The Dragon athletic department announced the news Friday, Aug. 17 on the verge of the fall season.
“I am excited to have someone of Coach Summers' caliber join our staff,” said Athletic Director Doug Peters. “He is well-respected in the tennis community and I expect him to do great things for Dragon Tennis.”
Oliver Summers brings a strong tennis pedigree to MSUM.
"I'm ready to build this program into a tennis dynasty," Summers said.
He has spent the past 12 years as the head tennis pro at Courts Plus Fitness Center in Fargo, N.D. Summers is in charge of teaching private and group lessons, supervising and managing staff, managing and promoting USTA and other tennis leagues, organizing Club and USTA sanctioned tournaments. Summers also the Davies Assistant High School Varsity Coach.
Summers acted as the USTA Area League Coordinator since 2005. He served as the contact person for all USTA league inquiries within a 50-mile radius. Summers was on the USTA High Performance Coaches Committee that helped select the top junior players. The purpose of the committee was to find a player with the talent to become a professional tennis player and help them train at regional training centers.
A graduate of the University of Portsmouth in England, Summers played at the No. 1 spot for the tennis team. He was given an opportunity to compete in tennis tournament throughout Europe and continued to play competitively beyond college.
Retired head coach Gary Harris spent 21 seasons with MSUM as the tennis head coach, 16 as the women's and 5 as the men's. Harris and the Dragons made a late push during the 2012 spring season to earn a NSIC playoff berth in his final season. Between the 2008 and 2012 seasons, Harris coached 14 All-Conference Academic players.
In 2009, Harris coached NSIC Freshman of the Year in
Kayla Huether, who also earned NSIC Senior of the year in 2012. In 2006 Harris guided the Dragons to a third straight runner-up finish at the 2007 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championships and was honored as the NSIC Women's Coach of the Year for a third time.
“I am extremely grateful for Coach Harris's dedication and service to the Dragons," Peters said. “He has been the consummate professional and I know that he has positively impacted the hundreds of student-athletes that he coached.”
