Now in his 17th season directing the Toledo men's tennis team, head coach Al Wermer has put his stamp on a program enjoying one of its finest stretches in its history.

"Coach Al" is the first coach since Robert Longley (1980-85) to post at least four straight winning seasons. The string of success saw the team record six straight top-three MAC finishes from 2006-11, occurring for the first time since 1969-73. He guided the 2010-11 team to a UT program-high 24 wins, including a 12-match win streak. The team also competed for the MAC championship for the second time in three years.

Only Ball State's Bill Richards has a longer tenure at a MAC school, and Wermer's 182 wins are the most in school history. Under his guidance, nine different players have earned All-MAC honors a total of 19 times. He's also had 13 different student-athletes earn Academic All-MAC recognition.

Wermer, a nationally-known coach with extensive experiences in training methods and tennis administration, is a leader among his Division I peers. He has been the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division I Midwest Men's Regional Chairman and he currently serves the Midwest coaches on the ITA National Division I Operating Committee, which develops policy for college tennis. He also served as Tournament Director of the Division I 2005-07 ITA National Indoors, hosted at Ohio State. He has two tennis instructional videos on the market: "Fearless and Focused! Doubles Drills" and "Get Better Today! Singles Drills."

While at Toledo, Wermer has enhanced recruiting, scheduling, and facilities, while developing UT into a consistent and unique Division I program.

"Nothing is comparable to when I took over here," he said. "We have an assistant coach, a manager, a renovated tennis facility, plus a brand new weight room and men's tennis locker room; just many more resources and support. Our challenging player-development methods and competition schedule prepare the guys for tennis and life beyond college in a positive and professional team-based environment."

Wermer is a regular speaker at numerous national and regional tennis coaches' conventions, including the ITA National Convention in December of 2007. He has coached at various USTA national and regional tennis programs, the Junior Davis Cup, USTA zonals and area training centers. Each summer, he heads to St. Louis for a stop with the St. Louis Aces of World Team Tennis professional league.

On a local level, Wermer is a founding board member of a USTA/Toledo Community Tennis Association, initiating new campus and community tennis programs. He was named the 2006 USPTA Midwest Coach of the Year and also received the ITA Community service Award for the Midwest region.

A graduate of Capital University with a degree in physical education, Wermer also began his collegiate coaching career with the Crusaders in 1992. He is a former USPTA Midwest Board Member and club coach in Columbus, OH. Before entering coaching, he played a season on the professional circuit.

Wermer and his wife, Nancy, have been married for 15 years. In his free time, he enjoys running, biking and traveling. In December of 2004, Wermer received his master's of arts in recreation and leisure studies from UT.