LA JOLLA, Calif. – After conducting a national search, UC San Diego Director of Athletics Earl W. Edwards has named Sebastian Bader the new women's tennis head coach. Bader has been elevated to the head post after spending the last two seasons as the Tritons' assistant coach. He becomes the fourth head coach in UC San Diego women's tennis history.
 
"I am extremely thankful for this opportunity to work at a fantastic academic institution like UC San Diego," Bader said. "I am excited about our program's growth. We will continue the tradition of academic and competitive excellence Triton women's tennis has shown over the last two decades."
 
Bader takes the reins after serving as assistant coach for the last two years under Liz LaPlante, who retired after 44 seasons at the helm.
 
"I am delighted to elevate Sebastian Bader to lead our women's tennis program," said Edwards. "He has proven his commitment to expanding our success in the classroom and on the court. This program is on an upward trajectory, and he is the right choice to lead us into Division I."
 
Last season was the Tritons' third as a Division I program, culminating in 10 wins and a postseason appearance in the NIT Championship. The Tritons success wasn't solely limited to the court. Academically, the women's tennis program posted the highest grade point average of any UC San Diego team in each of the last two quarters (3.74 GPA in the spring 2023 quarter).
 
Bader joined the UC San Diego women's tennis coaching staff as an assistant in September 2021, and added assistant coach duties for the men's program in January 2022. He is currently pursuing an MS in Coaching and Exercise Sciences at Concordia University Irvine.

Prior to his time with the Tritons, Bader was the Head Tennis Professional and Assistant Director of Tennis at Lomas Santa Fe Country Club. Bader, a USPTA Elite Professional, also spent some time as a High-Performance coach at Kaveon Tennis and Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club, where he worked with several current and now former collegiate tennis players.

Bader, originally from Innsbruck, Austria, was a professional tennis player on the ITF and ATP Challenger Tour from 2012-2017. He reached a career-high of ATP 207 in doubles, and ATP 1498 in singles while playing a total of 450 professional matches. During this period, Bader reached 25 finals and captured 1 ATP Challenger doubles title and 6 ITF Futures doubles titles.

A 2011 graduate of Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu, Bader received his bachelor's degree in communication. He served as team captain and was president of the Student Athlete's Advisory Committee (SAAC) in 2011. He was also the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II West Region Rookie of the Year in 2009 and the #1 ranked doubles team in the West region in 2010.
 
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 84 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.