In just his second year as assistant coach, Brandon Lenfert has already made a large impact on the Northern Illinois men[apos]s tennis program. He helped lead the Huskies to an 11-8 mark in 2008, while also helping his players garner impressive accolades.
Under the tutelage of Lenfert, former Huskie Alex Friesen earned the 2008 Mid-American Conference Sportsman of the Year, and was one of two Huskies named to the All-MAC First-Team. Additionally, the Huskies[apos] 2008 top doubles tandem reached a ranking of No. 33, and posted an overall record of 20-8 last season. He also helped mentor former NIU player Brian Livingston, who was named the 2008 MAC Player of the Year.
Lenfert[apos]s impact has not come just on the court, but also in the classroom. In 2008, the Huskies recorded a team grade-point-average of 3.137, and claimed five-of the 10 spots on the Academic All-MAC team with Friesen, Diego Zegarra-Ballon, Jimmy Chu, Javier Bernabe and Alfonso Monroy all earning selections.
Lenfert, who was a three-year team captain for Eastern Illinois University, played predominantly at the No. 2 and No. 3 singles, and at the No. 1 doubles position for the Panthers from 2003-07. Lenfert played a key role in helping EIU to their first national ranking at No. 75 overall in 2007. He earned his bachelor[apos]s degree from Eastern Illinois in August 2007, compiling a 3.87 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
While at EIU, Lenfert was named to the Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner[apos]s Honor Roll in both 2005 and 2006. He also accepted the Panther Scholar Athlete Eastern Award in 2005, and the Merit Award in 2004.
During off-seasons, Lenfert spent three summers coaching at the University of Illinois Nike Tennis Camps from 2004 to 2006. While there, the Memphis, Indiana native learned coaching fundamentals and philosophies from former Illini coach and current Australian Open Tournament Director, Craig Tiley, along with current Illini coach and former private coach of Martina Navratilova, Brad Dancer.
In the summer of 2007 and 2008, Lenfert served as Director and Head Instructor of the 2007 Scott County YMCA (IN) Summer Tennis Clinic, while instructing and training junior and adult players from the Southern Indiana area.
Lenfert is pursuing his master[apos]s degree in sport management at NIU, and is slated to graduate in May.
