MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – St. Thomas University Senior Vice President of Athletics Bill Rychel has announced the hiring of Christopher Tissot as the new head coach of the Bobcats' men's and women's tennis programs.
Tissot arrives at St. Thomas with nearly two decades of collegiate coaching experience, a proven record of developing championship-caliber student-athletes, and a reputation for building successful programs both on and off the court. Throughout his career, he has coached nationally recognized players, rebuilt competitive programs, and earned multiple regional and national coaching honors.
"I am excited to announce Chris as our new Tennis Coach for the men's and women's programs," said Rychel. "There was a lot of interest in our open position, and Chris stood out as we talked to many good candidates throughout the process. He brings a great attitude and an expectation of winning to continue to evolve tennis at St. Thomas. I believe the relationships that he will build, the culture he will set, and the knowledge that he has will keep our programs ascending to new levels. I look forward to working with him and getting him to South Florida."
Tissot most recently served as the head men's tennis coach at Glendale College in California, where he transformed the Vaqueros into one of the premier junior college programs in the nation. Since taking over the program in 2017, he compiled an 87-49 overall record while guiding Glendale to unprecedented success. His teams captured a conference championship, earned multiple appearances at the state tournament, and consistently ranked among the top programs in California. When asked about joining a new program, Tissot says he is "definitely excited about this opportunity and excited to join St. Thomas University"
The 2025 ITA Regional Coach of the Year, Tissot led Glendale to one of its finest seasons in program history in 2024, finishing with an 18-4 record while producing the school's first-ever state singles champion, Jean Baptiste Badon. Under his leadership, Glendale also celebrated its first doubles finalists at the state championships and produced several All-Americans and nationally ranked student-athletes.
His success reached the national stage in 2023 when Badon became the first California junior college player to win the ITA Cup and later captured the ITA Cup Super Bowl championship, earning recognition as the nation's top player across Division II, Division III, NAIA, and junior college competition. That same season, Glendale qualified multiple singles and doubles entries for the ITA Cup while capturing both the Southern California Regional singles and doubles championships.
In 2026, Tissot continued building on that success by leading Glendale to a regional finals appearance while earning victories over nationally respected NCAA Division III programs, including the University of Redlands and Whitman College.
Before taking over at Glendale, Tissot rebuilt the women's tennis program at Palomar College after the program had not fielded a team the previous season. Despite having only two months to recruit and prepare for competition, he guided the Comets to multiple regional qualifiers and helped produce one of the conference's top individual performers.
Tissot also brings valuable professional coaching experience, having served as the personal coach for ATP professional Alexander Sarkissian from 2019 to 2021. During that time, Sarkissian improved his ATP ranking by more than 100 spots, captured his first professional tournament title since 2018, and reached the quarterfinals of the Morelos Open Challenger. Tissot's coaching emphasized technical improvements, match strategy, strength and conditioning, nutrition, and mental performance, showcasing his comprehensive approach to player development.
His coaching résumé also includes eight seasons as an assistant coach at Glendale College, where he helped develop future ATP professionals, conference champions, and nationally recognized teams. He was instrumental in recruiting top talent, overseeing strength and conditioning programs, and helping Glendale capture conference championships while earning the ITA National Sportsmanship Team Award.
Beyond coaching, Tissot has extensive experience managing athletic budgets, fundraising campaigns, facility improvements, recruiting internationally through Universal Tennis Rating (UTR), and mentoring student-athletes in both academic and athletic success. His teams consistently excelled in the classroom, earning multiple ITA Scholar Team recognitions for outstanding cumulative grade-point averages.
In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Tissot has served as an adjunct professor of physical education at Glendale College, teaching tennis, health education, and strength and conditioning while mentoring students in fitness, nutrition, and injury prevention. He holds a Master of Science in Physical Education from Azusa Pacific University and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He also maintains Professional Tennis Registry certification and CPR/AED certification.
As St. Thomas University continues to compete among the nation's elite in the NAIA, the addition of Tissot signals an exciting new chapter for Bobcat Men's and Women's Tennis.
