By Dan Powell & Tim Robertson
The men’s and women’s tennis teams officially welcomed an exotic and foreign flare to their coaching staff on Sunday, when the athletic department named Michael Sowter, 26, of Australia, head coach.
Sowter coached for the past two seasons at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., as the women’s assistant and left the post April 2. Sowter formally met the team on April 5. The nationally ranked junior in Australia as a youth also coached at Sarah Lawrence College for two seasons in Bronxville, N.Y.
Sowter heard about the good reputation of the team and the University and applied for the position in the middle of March.
“I have a good understanding of this team and want to be a member of it and get to the top,” the young and eager coach said.
Sowter officially replaces former head coach Bill Gerdts, who surprised the team in February with his sudden resignation, and will take the reins from interim head coach Mayo Hosoda.
Hosoda, a University graduate and former Pride tennis player a year ago, fulfilled head coaching duties while the athletic department searched for Gerdts’s replacement. Hosoda, 23, took a two-month leave of absence from culinary school to help out the team, often working around the clock on the weekends when the team went on the road.
“It was physically and mentally draining,” Hosoda said. “But the team has been supportive and understanding of the circumstances.”
She took over a team she had made friendships with, which caused her to be treated differently, she said.
“However, they have been nothing but respectful and they recognized my authority,” said Hosoda, who aspires to coach in the future.
“Mayo tried her hardest, and I appreciate her for it. She did not decide to be in that position,” said Nikola Djordjevic, an out-going senior.
The future looks to be more stable and productive than this season, as Sowter vowed to rebuild a program that has recently become lackluster. He will attempt to grab as much talent as he can this late into the recruiting process.
“Recuriting will be a large factor, with the early signing period gone, but I look to use contacts in Australia and England to pick up kids,” Sowter said, adding that possible transfers could play a crucial role in the team’s success.
Sowter’s main responsibility is to bring a new style of coaching, which was missing during Gerdts’s 11-year tenure.
“I would like to see more of a committed, proactive and dedicated coach,” said Djordjevic, who will keep an eye on the Pride as his younger brother, Luka, finishes up his final years at Hofstra. “Gerdts was a good guy, but did not have the drive.”
Returning players agree about the style of coaching needed to produce better results on the court. The team needs a dependable coach; someone with energy and who asks questions, not someone that just gives orders, sophomore Andy Cha said.
“That is what we need in a coach, that is what I hope Coach Sowter is,” said Cha, who will be one of four juniors on a senior-less men’s team next season. The women’s team will be even younger with only one junior, Valerie McDonald, and three sophomores.