UF Names Roland Thornqvist Women's Tennis Coach
Friday, June 22, 2001 | Women's Tennis
The University of Florida Athletic Association and Athletics Director Jeremy Foley today announced the hiring of Roland Thornqvist as its new women's tennis coach. He will take over the program from Andy Brandi, who announced on May 29 that after 17 successful seasons with the Florida program, he was taking the position of Director of Coaching for IMG Academies. Thornqvist plans to arrive in Gainesville the first week of July.
Thornqvist owns a five-year record of 75-50 after coaching at the University of North Carolina for the past three seasons (42-30) and at Kansas from 1997-98 (33-20). Each team advanced to the NCAA Championships under Thornqvist, with the 1998 Kansas team advancing to the Round of 16. In his premiere season at UNC in 1999, he led the Tar Heels to the NCAA Second Round in their first-ever NCAA appearance.
"Ever since I started playing tennis, Florida tennis has been THE program. To have the opportunity to lead the Florida women's team is just really a dream come true. Andy Brandi built a program that is respected and envied across the nation. I am honored to be following in his footsteps.," Thornqvist said. "One thing that really attracted me was Jeremy Foley. I liked the way he operates and he is straightforward, very goal-oriented and driven and that is exactly how I see myself. I really thrive under those kinds of commissions and under that leadership so I am looking forward to working at Florida and working under him.
"Nobody has higher expectations than I do. It's always been that way. I'm just excited to be coming down there and I think we can do really, really good things," he continued. "I think the University of Florida has always had the best players in the country and when we go out to recruit - which will be right away - we will look for the same type of players. We will look for talented, hard-working, self-motivated individuals who want to learn and who want to succeed in the team and individual environments. The leadership has changed, but the goals will certainly stay the same."
"Roland has already proven himself as one of the nation's top young coaching talents," said Foley. "I believe that the drive for success that he has shown as a coach and player will keep the Florida women's tennis program among the nation's elite. We welcome Roland and his family to Gainesville and the Gator athletic program."
Thornqvist returned to his alma mater in June of 1998 to take a North Carolina team that posted a 1998 record of 5-17 to a record of 16-9 and its first-ever NCAA berth in 1999. The Tar Heels also recorded their first NCAA Tournament victory in 1999, taking a 5-4 win over Washington in the opening round. His Tar Heel teams have also advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2000 and 2001, reaching the second round again in 2001. The UNC team finished the 2001 season ranked No. 17 in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll - the highest final position in the history of the Tar Heel program.
In his first head coaching assignment at Kansas, Thornqvist led the Jayhawks to a second-place finish in the 1997 Big 12 Conference standings and a No. 1 regional ranking. The 1998 Jayhawk squad compiled a 18-6 record, won the NCAA Central Regional Championship at Brigham Young University and advanced to the NCAA round of 16 before losing to Georgia.
Prior to his tenure at KU, Thornqvist spent 1994-96 as the assistant men's tennis coach at UNC. Thornqvist also played professional tennis for one year after his graduation, attaining a world ranking of No. 290 in singles.
Thornqvist established himself as one of the top players in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference during his collegiate career. He was a three-time first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, the 1993 ACC Player of the Year, a 1992 and 1993 first-team All-American and a 1992 and 1993 NCAA Tournament quarterfinalist in singles. In 1992, he led the Tar Heels to the ACC Championship and to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels also made the NCAA Tournament during his senior season, advancing to the round of 16. Thornqvist won the 1993 Rolex National Indoor Singles Championship as a senior. In both 1992 and 1993, he won the ITA's Rafael Osuna National Sportsmanship Award. He is the only college player in history to win that award twice. Thornqvist was the No. 4 ranked collegiate singles player in the country his senior year.
A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Thornqvist received his bachelor's degree in economics from UNC in 1993. He played for the Tar Heels from 1990-93, transferring from Elon College where he played one year and won the NAIA singles and doubles championships as a freshman in 1990. He also led Elon to the NAIA team championship that year.
Thornqvist is married to Nan Thornqvist and they are the parents of MacLaine, who will be two-years old in November and Whitney, who was born on Jan. 21.
The Roland Thornqvist File
Birthdate: March 3, 1970
Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden
Education: Bachelor of Arts - Economics, University of North Carolina, 1993
Overall Head Coaching Record: 78-50 (five seasons)
Playing Career:
Two-time All-American at North Carolina in 1992 and '93… three-time first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection… 1993 ACC Player of the Year… member of 1992 and '93 Tar Heel teams that advanced to NCAA Round of 16… 1993 Rolex National Indoor Singles champion… 1992 and '93 Rafael Osuna National Sportsmanship Award winner… played professional tennis for one year following graduation, earning a world-ranking of No. 290.
Coaching Career:
Women's Tennis Head Coach, University of Kansas, 1997-98 (two seasons)
Women's Tennis Head Coach, University of North Carolina, 1999-2001 (three seasons)
Women's Tennis Head Coach, University of Florida, 2001-present
Coaching Highlights:
Team:
Thornqvist Year-by-Year Head Coaching Record
| Year | School | Overall | Pct. | Conference | NCAA Finish | Final Rank |
| 1997 | KU | 15-14 | .517 | 10-3 (2nd) | Second Round | No. 33 Rolex |
| 1998 | KU | 18-6 | .750 | 9-2 (2nd) | Round of 16 | No. 17 Rolex |
| 1999 | UNC | 16-9 | .640 | 3-5 (4th) | Second Round | No. 29 ITA |
| 2000 | UNC | 10-14 | .417 | 2-6 | First Round | No. 42 ITA |
| 2001 | UNC | 16-7 | .701 | 6-2 | Second Round | No. 17 ITA |
| TOTALS |
| 75-50 | .600 | 30-18 |
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| KU | 33-20 | .622 | 19-5 |
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| UNC | 42-30 | .583 | 11-13 |
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