Dr. Leslie Curtis enters his sixth season as the assistant coach for the John Carroll University men's and women's tennis teams.
Numerous teams have achieved success under Curtis' tutelage.
The 2013-14 campaign saw five of Curtis' charges earn All-OAC honors including Jad Abdul-Aal who was the OAC Men's Tennis Player of the Year, just the second-ever Blue Streak to earn this honor on the men's side. The women's sqaud made its fifth straight appearance at the Linder Family Tennis Center for the OAC Semifinals.
Ryan Mullaney capped his career with his fourth-straight All-OAC honors in 2013. The senior finished with indentical 12-3 records at No. 1 singles and doubles. On the women's side Curtis guided two of his charges to All-OAC accolades in Catherine Engel and Anna Stein. The women's team also made its fourth straight appearance in Cincinnati for the OAC Semifinals.
The men's team upset over fourth-seeded Mount Union to advance to its seventh consecutive OAC Tournament Semifinal appearance in 2012 which was backed by winning two of the three doubles points. On the women's side Maria Ciccolini was a first team selection to the Capital One Academic All-District Seven women's at-large team as voted on by members of CoSIDA.
The 2011 spring slate was was even better for the men's team, as they finished 13-7 overall, 7-1 in the OAC and reached the conference finals. Three Blue Streaks were awarded All-OAC honors following the season. The women's squad compiled a 6-2 league record and advanced to the OAC semis for the second straight season, placing three players on the All-Conference team.
Prior to coming to John Carroll, Curtis was the head coach at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y. from 1993-94 and was a professor at the College of Saint Rose from 1992-95.
Academically, Curtis has been a professor at John Carroll since the start of the 1995-96 academic year. He is a member of the faculty in the art history department.
On the court, Curtis is ranked in the top 10 nationally in his age group in both singles and doubles play and has competed in several high-profile events. He has competed for the prestigious Gordan Trophy, an annual competition between tennis players 45-years old and older between the United States and Canada. He is also part of the Intersectional Midwest Team.
Curtis received his Doctorate in Art History from The Ohio State University, his Master's in Art History, and his Bachelor's in Studio Art from Morehead State where he was a student-athlete.
