Head Coach Brian Fleishman Last College: Christopher Newport '91

2000 ACC Coach of the Year

After taking the traditionally strong Wake Forest women’s tennis program to greater heights in the year 2000, head coach Brian Fleishman enters his third season at the helm of the Deacon program with even higher hopes for the future.

An assistant coach at Wake Forest from 1997-99, Fleishman took over the Deacon program on an interim basis in the spring of 1999 following the resignation of longtime head coach Lew Gerrard. He was awarded the permanent job a month later, and since then has raised the women’s tennis program to new standards of success.

In his first two seasons at Wake Forest, Fleishman assisted Gerrard, who finished his career as the fourth all-time winningest coach in ACC women’s tennis history. The duo guided the 1997 Deacon squad to a runner-up finish in the ACC Tournament and an appearance in the NCAA championship. The 1998 team advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament while again finishing second in the conference.

After being named head coach during the 1999 season, Fleishman directed the team to a 10-5 record and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA regional tournament in Columbia, SC. The 1999 Deacons finished with a 16-11 record, including a 7-1 mark in the ACC, and were listed 17th in the final national rankings. Mariel Verban earned All-America honors after advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA singles championship. Freshman Janet Bergman was named ACC Rookie of the Year, and three Deacons were named to the All-ACC team while two players captured ACC flight championships.

In 1999-2000, his first full season at the helm, Fleishman guided Wake Forest to a school record 24 wins, finishing with an unprecedented 24-3 mark. The team also swept through its league competition with a perfect 8-0 record, another first for the Deacon program. Included in that ACC sweep was a 4-3 victory over Duke, which halted the Blue Devils’ 116-match winning streak over ACC opponents. Wake Forest’s performance earned Fleishman ACC Coach of the Year honors.

The success of the 2000 squad continued well into the postseason, as the Demon Deacons made their seventh conseuctive appearance in the NCAA team tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals. Three Deacons – Bergman, Bea Bielik and Adria Engel – earned All-America status. WFU also garnered its first ACC Player of the Year honor, as Adria Engel captured the award in addition to ACC and ITA National Rookie of the Year honors.

If this past fall is any indication, Wake Forest women’s tennis is primed for another successful spring in 2001. The Deacons’ roster includes the nation’s top-ranked singles player, Bielik, and the No. 1 doubles team in Bergman and Bielik. WFU swept the National Clay Court championship and posted strong showings in every fall event, setting the stage for an outstanding dual season.

Prior to his arrival at Wake Forest, Fleishman served two seasons as an assistant coach at perennial women’s tennis power, The College of William & Mary. While in Williamsburg, he helped guide the Tribe to two NCAA appearances and a No. 8 national ranking – the highest ranking in school history. Fleishman helped guide the career of three-time All-America Lauren Nikolaus, and was named ITA Eastern Regional Assistant Coach of the Year in 1997. During his time at William & Mary, he was co-director of the Nike Tennis Camp and tournament director for the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit, in addition to serving as an adjunct professor in the kinesiology department at the College.

Before entering the college coaching ranks, Fleishman spent five years as a coach on the professional tour and as the junior programs coordinator at the Van der Meer Tennis Academy in Hilton Head, SC. In 1993 and 1994, he personally coached Grant Stafford and helped him climb 30 spots to No. 52 in the world rankings. Fleishman has coached at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and many other ATP and WTA tour events.

Before working at the Van der Meer Tennis Academy, Fleishman worked as an administrator/head coach of the area training center for the SCTA/USTA in Columbia, S.C.

Fleishman is a 1991 graduate of Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Va., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management. While a student at CNU, Fleishman served as the head boys’ tennis coach at Hampton Roads Academy in Newport News.

The Fleishman File
Coaching Experience
1999-present Head Women’s Coach, Wake Forest University
2000 NCAA Quarterfinals, No. 5 national ranking
1999 NCAA Second Round, No. 17 national ranking
1997-99 Assistant Women’s Coach, Wake Forest University
1998 NCAA Quarterfinals, No. 11 national ranking
1995-97 Assistant Women’s Coach, The College of William & Mary
1997 NCAA Second Round, No. 8 national ranking
1996 NCAA First Round, No. 16 national ranking
1991-95 Junior Programs Coordinator, Van der Meer Tennis Academy
Hilton Head Island, S.C.
1991-95 Administrator/Head Coach, SCTA/USTA Training Center
Columbia, S.C.
1990-91 Head Boys’ Coach, Hampton Roads Academy
Newport News, Va.

Coaching Honors
2000 ACC Coach of the Year
1997 ITA Eastern Regional Assistant Coach of the Year