This summer we'll be featuring various coaches from our 23 teams in a Q&A format on UCSDTritons.com as well as our social media accounts.

Timmer Willing enters his eleventh season as head coach of the UC San Diego men's tennis team and his 22nd in total with the Tritons. Willing has been in La Jolla since 2002, when he joined the program as an assistant coach. 

In his first decade at the helm, Willing led the Tritons to five NCAA Division II postseason appearances. As an assistant, he helped the Tritons to their best ever season, coming third in the 2007 NCAA Division II tournament. In 2011, Willing was named ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year for his role in UC San Diego's perfect 20-0 record in dual matches.

Last season, Willing's Tritons achieved a pair of landmark victories, earning the program's first win at the Division I level and, shortly after, their first Big West Conference win. The Tritons were powered by their doubles play, with the tandem of Pelayo Rodriguez and Phillip Lan going a team-best 9-4 on the season, plus Daniel Traxler and William Lan earning All-Big West Honorable Mention honors after partnering up in the middle of the campaign.

Prior to joining UC San Diego's staff, Willing was an assistant coach at Indiana University from 1994-96. He began his coaching career at his alma mater, Truman State, assisting the men's and women's teams from 1991-93. 

What's an interesting fact about you that's not listed in your bio?
As I have become older I am less interesting! I'm pretty fearless about trying new things so life is broken down into pre-children – jumping off cliffs/diving, Muy Thai/boxing, traveling to some dangerous places — and post-children — getting out of my recliner without hurting myself. The Murph Challenge that used to take me under 50 minutes now gets stretched out to a full day, but it still gets done every year no matter what.

Any exciting summer plans?
Teaching my children to swim, camp, fish and hunt, all scheduled around baseball, basketball and soccer camps... and robotic camps.

What's one skill you wish you had or would like to learn?
Home repair and home building skills were available to me with my grandfather and relatives and I didn't partake. Now I need the skills I refused way back when and am paying the high costs now.

What are three words you would use to describe your team culture?
Only one word. "IF" (google Rudyard Kipling).

What has stood out to you most in this transition to Division I competition?
I have experience in DI and understood the level so I was not surprised. But the numerous obstacles in getting the behind the scenes challenges all coaches face in any sport that must be overcome to progress their team wasn't expected. Every team is good and any team on any given year can make a jump in level so no one can be taken lightly from previous years' results.
 
What are you looking forward to most with your squad next season?
I always look forward to the new recruits coming in. This fall season is focused on building resiliency and confidence in our scholar athletes themselves on and off court. I look forward to some new challenges and activities away from my typical fall and look forward to building up our team to be people of strong character.

What is your favorite coaching memory?
I would think there are a few important wins in my career that are satisfying, but I honestly enjoyed the journey the most. Wins and losses for me are almost forgotten about within the hour either by satisfaction and on to the next opponent, or by a traditional shower post-match to "wash off" the loss. Tennis for me has shifted from purely playing in a competition to long term development of our guys progressing in sport and learning who they are to become as men.

Who has influenced you most in your career and why?
The list is long. I am influenced by everyone including coaches within our own department in all sports. I think a coach fails himself/herself and his/her team if one doesn't see value in everyone he/she comes across. Some of my best lessons have actually come from learning what NOT to do, or when to say something or not. Understanding "situational awareness" is key

What's one piece of advice you've received that has stuck with you?
Advice that stuck with me but will always be a work in progress is, "don't let your emotions interfere with your intelligence." It sounds simple but most obstacles are self-imposed, especially in stressful situations.

What advice would you give to potential student-athletes who are going through the recruiting process?
Compete hard, compete often and fail your way to success. Too many athletes now won't get out of their comfort zone and so they never really lay it all out on the line.

What stands out to you most when evaluating prospective student-athletes at camps or summer tournaments?
Physically it is how they move, but more importantly to me and has shown in my lineup is the personal characteristics that make the difference. It's skills that require zero talent - greet with a firm handshake, eye contact when communicating, being on time and “if you're on time you're late,” do more than expected of you, be coachable et cetera. Take a look at the list of character components and I have always found success in some degree and much success with those that retain more of those particular characteristics.

Check back on UCSDTritons.com all summer long for future editions of “Coaches' Corner" from other UC San Diego coaches. Previous “Coaches' Corner” entries are below.

• Brad Kreutzkamp (Women's Water Polo)
• Nate Garcia (Cross Country)
• Kristin Jones (Women's Soccer)
• Juan Ignacio Calderon (Fencing)
• Fred Hanover (Men's Golf)

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.