* 2018; 2017; 2015; 2014; 2013; 2011; 2010 NCAA Tournament
* 2017-18; 2014-15; 2009-10; 2008-09; Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year
* 2018; 2017; Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Champions (Regular Season & Tournament)
* 2017-18; Intercollegiate College Tennis Association (ITA) East Region College Coach of the Year
* 2017; United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) College Coach of the Year
* 2017; United States Tennis Association, Middle States (USTA/MS) College Coach of the Year
* 2017; 2016; United States Tennis Association, Delaware District (USTA/MS/DD) College Tennis Coach of the Year
* 2009; United States Tennis Association, Delaware District (USTA/MS/DD) Community Tennis Coach of the Year
* 2007; United States Professional Tennis Association Middle States (USPTA/MS) High School Coach of the Year (Archmere Academy)
Joe Kissel is in his 13th season as head coach at Goldey-Beacom.
He has taken the women’s tennis squad to great heights in the NCAA East Region. Now he has his team knocking on the door for annual national recognition. Goldey-Beacom finished the 2017-18 season with a 16-3 record and ranked 32nd in the nation. In addition, 2017-18 was a memorable season for Kissel, having won four distinct “Coach of the Year” awards including Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC); United States Professional Tennis Association, Middle States Division (USPTA); United States Tennis Association, Middle States Division (USTA/MS) and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association East Region (ITA/East) Coach of the Year.
Hired in 2006 to “kick-start” Goldey-Beacom’s one-year-old tennis program, it took Kissel just three years to get the program to its first winning season. In 2008-09, the team experienced its first winning campaign by finishing 11-3 with a third-place finish in the CACC. Kissel's 2009-10 squad also earned the program's first berth in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed, closing the season 13-5.
In 2014-15, the Lightning established a new high in wins by finishing 18-5, ranked fourth in the NCAA/ITA East Region and 31st in the country. The squad made history by becoming the first Goldey-Beacom team to win a head-to-head NCAA Tournament match in any sport. Goldey-Beacom earlier in the season tied the school record with 10 shutouts and established a new one with four straight shutouts.
The mountain top that is the CACC title finally was achieved during the 2016-17 season, when Goldey-Beacom won the crown in its fifth trip to the final. The squad attained its sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament, won a match in the tournament for the second time in three years and closed third in the NCAA/ITA East Region.
That squad also won its first 11 matches for its best start and greatest winning streak in school history. The 7-0 mark gave the Lightning their first perfect CACC record and first number one seed for the conference tournament.
The 2016-17 season was punctuated with four-year standout Nina Sengl being named third team CoSIDA Academic All-America. She is the second such honoree in school history.
Not to rest on its laurels, Goldey-Beacom for the second year (2017-18 season) in a row, went undefeated in CACC play earning the number one seed before winning another championship and automatic berth to the 2018 NCAA East Tournament. As the number one seed in the NCAA East Tournament, Goldey-Beacom ended the season 16-3.
Goldey-Beacom has notched 10 winning seasons in a row dating to 2008-09 and double digit wins eight of the last 10 seasons entering 2018-19.
Kissel has been selected by conference coaches the CACC Coach of the Year four times.
Kissel in 2009 was honored as the USTA Middle States Delaware District Community Tennis Coach of the Year for building Goldey-Beacom tennis into a highly competitive women’s program in only four years. He also was honored by the USTA in 2015 and 2016 as the organization’s Delaware District College Coach of the Year and in 2017, as the USTA Middle States College of the Year.
He has been recognized by USPTA Middle States tennis teaching professionals, having been named in 2007 USPTA Middle States High School Coach of the Year and then this past year, 2017 USPTA Middle States College Coach of the Year.
At the conclusion of the 2017-18 collegiate season, the ITA named Kissel the East Region College Coach of the Year.
“Reflecting back on 2006 when I was hired to kick start the GBC tennis program [officially, the program’s initial season was 2005], our objective was to simply field a competitive team as soon as possible while helping the CACC meet its NCAA requirements for a tennis automatic qualifier. No one had any expectations beyond that simple objective. Going into my 13th year building and growing GBC’s tennis program, I feel we have accomplished some goals way beyond our initial expectations… having gone undefeated in our CACC conference and winning our championship the last two years… and having gone to the NCAA Tournament seven out of the last nine years, I believe we have established GBC as a top-six East Region tennis program. Our new short-term goal is to take our tennis program to an even higher level on the national scene. By setting such a lofty goal, we hope to attract even better tennis players from around the world and maybe recruit a high level USTA junior player or two. As one of two NCAA Division II tennis programs in Delaware, we offer student-athletes a new and exciting opportunity to continue their tennis beyond high school and junior levels as well as a first-rate education,” Kissel said.
Kissel is a member of the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) and the United States Tennis Association (USTA). He also served as a Certified USTA and ITA Tennis Official (1999-2014), head coach at Rosemont College (1999-2006) and head coach at Archmere Academy (1999-2014).
Kissel has an undergraduate degree in business/statistics and an MBA from Temple University Fox School of Business and Management.
|
Record |
Pct. |
CACC
(Finish) |
NCAA East
Region Ranking |
NCAA Ranking |
| 2006-07 |
1-11 |
|
1-5 |
|
|
| 2007-08 |
4-7 |
.364 |
2-5 |
|
|
| 2008-09 |
11-3 |
.786 |
5-2 (3) |
|
|
| 2009-10 |
13-5 |
.722 |
7-1 (2) |
No. 5** |
|
| 2010-11 |
12-6 |
.667 |
7-1 (2) |
No. 5** |
|
| 2011-12 |
9-6 |
.600 |
6-2 (2) |
No. 7 |
|
| 2012-13 |
14-6 |
.700 |
7-1 (2) |
** |
|
| 2013-14 |
12-6 |
.667 |
6-2 (3) |
** |
|
| 2014-15 |
18-5 |
.783 |
7-1 (2) |
No. 4** |
No. 31 |
| 2015-16 |
8-7 |
.533 |
4-3 (4) |
|
|
| 2016-17 |
14-4 |
.778 |
7-0 (1) |
No. 3** |
|
| 2017-18 |
16-3 |
.800 |
7-0 (1) |
No. 1** |
No. 32 |
| Totals |
132-69 |
.657 |
65-18 |
|
|
** NCAA Tournament
