ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana Vikings Director of Athletics Mike Zapolski has announced the hiring of Mike Strydom as the new head men's and women's tennis coach.
"We were fortunate to have a strong applicant pool, and I look forward to working with Coach Strydom to continue building on the strong history and tradition of the Augustana men's and women's tennis programs," said Zapolski. "Coach Strydom is highly regarded by his regional coaching peers, and I am confident that he can step in and make an immediate impact on our tennis programs with the goal of consistently contending for conference championships and the opportunity to compete at the national tournament."
Strydom arrives in Rock Island after spending the past six seasons as the head women's tennis coach at Coe College, where he rebuilt the Kohawks into one of the American Rivers Conference's top contenders.
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"Augustana has everything you need to build a championship program—talented student-athletes, exceptional institutional support, and a culture of excellence," said Strydom. "I'm excited to get to work, build on the program's strong foundation, and help our student-athletes achieve success both on the court and long after they graduate."
During his tenure at Coe, Strydom compiled an 84-53 overall dual match record and a 37-11 mark in American Rivers Conference play, advancing to the NCAA Tournament during the 2024-25 season. Under his leadership, the Kohawks also produced 18 All-American Rivers Conference selections, four conference Most Valuable Players and one Rookie of the Year while capturing the program's first conference tournament championship since 2018.
Before taking over the Kohawks, Strydom amassed more than two decades of coaching and teaching experience at the collegiate, high school, club and academy levels. He previously served as an assistant coach and later head coach at Wartburg College before joining Saddlebrook Preparatory School and the Saddlebrook Tennis Academy in Florida as director of boarding. Prior to joining Coe, Strydom served as a teaching professional at Black Hawk Tennis Club in Waterloo, Iowa.
Strydom's coaching career began in his native South Africa in 1998 as the teaching professional and director of tennis at Umtentweni Tennis Club. He later served as director of tennis at French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts in New York before returning to South Africa to coach the boys' and girls' tennis programs at Port Shepstone High School, where he guided the school to a program-record 15 victories in a season.
A native of South Africa, Strydom holds certifications from the International Tennis Federation, the United States Professional Tennis Association and the Professional Tennis Registry.
