The University of Pennsylvania's T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W'69 Director of Athletics and Recreation, Alanna Shanahan, has announced the promotion of David DiLucia as the Albert G. Molloy Head Coach of Men's Tennis. DiLucia has been with the program as an assistant coach since September 2017 under David Geatz, who recently announced his retirement.
"David DiLucia has played a key role in the success of our men's tennis program the past five years, and he has earned this promotion to head coach," Shanahan said. "He is highly regarded in the tennis community from his days playing professionally and coaching some of the top-ranked pros and juniors. His recruiting prowess, player development, and relationship-based coaching helped elevate Penn men's' tennis and I'm confident that the future remains bright under David's leadership."
Under Geatz and DiLucia, the Penn men's tennis program made history last spring by competing in the NCAA Championship as a team for the first time. The Quakers lost to VCU, 4-3, in a first-round match that was played in Charlottesville, Va. Edoardo Graziani was the first Penn player to be voted Ivy League Player of the Year by the Ancient Eight coaches, and he later played in the NCAA Men's Singles Championship. Graziani returns for 2022-23 along with four other players who competed in that NCAA dual with the Rams: Aditya Gupta, Harsh Parikh, Baylor Sai, and Kevin Zhu.
"I would like to thank Alanna for this incredible opportunity to lead the Quakers going forward. It has been a pleasure to work alongside Coach Geatz these past five years. His passion for teaching and care for his players was evidenced daily and I wish him all the best in his retirement. I am excited for the challenge ahead and will continue to foster a relationship rich environment in which our student-athletes are supported and challenged to thrive academically, athletically and in their personal lives."
DiLucia's Philadelphia connections run deeper than his five years with the Quakers. The Norristown, Pa. native (Malvern Prep) also competed for the Philadelphia Freedoms in World Team Tennis, leading them to their first league championship in 2001. In addition, the former world number 242 in singles and 92 in doubles on the ATP World Tour competed at the US Pro Indoor in Philadelphia, reaching the round of 16 in singles in 1992.
The former pro competed in the singles main draw of the Australian, Wimbledon, US Open and all four majors in doubles reaching the second round in both the US and French Open in 1998 and the round of 16 at Wimbledon in 1993. During his professional career, DiLucia represented the United States on the 1993 Davis Cup team as well as at the 1991 Pan American Games where he won a silver medal in singles and a gold medal in mixed doubles. His top career singles result came in 1998 where he reached the quarterfinal round of the Championship Series event in Tokyo, defeating Kenneth Carlsen and former top 15 player David Wheaton.
DiLucia graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor's degree in psychology. His senior year he received the Kanaley award, the most prestigious honor given to student-athletes who have been exemplary as both students and leaders. He was a five-time All-America at the NCAA level, earning top singles and doubles rankings, and led the Fighting Irish to the NCAA team final in 1992. In 2008, DiLucia was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.
Following his pro career, DiLucia traveled the world and coached one of the greatest doubles teams in history, Bob and Mike Bryan, who ranked number one in the world. He also coached the number one women's doubles team of Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs. In 2006, DiLucia was the coach of former world number one and International Tennis Hall of Fame Inductee, Lindsay Davenport.
DiLucia has also developed and coached some of the nation's top junior, collegiate and professional players as a National Coach for the United States Tennis Association. From 2011 until 2017 he served as a Director at CITRS, Inc., an organization whose mission is to help youth and organizations achieve excellence through comprehensive character education, leadership, and professional development.
#FightOnPenn
What they are saying about Coach DiLucia…
"What a great hire for Penn! David's experience, both playing and coaching players on the pro tour, will enable Penn players to go into their competitive matches with a leg up on their opponents. At Notre Dame, he led our team to the NCAA Championship final. His dynamic leadership was as important as his exemplary on-court play. Congratulations to the athletics leadership at Penn for providing their players with such a great opportunity to experience success at the highest level!"
Bob Bayliss, former head men's tennis coach, Notre Dame (1987-2013)
"The University of Pennsylvania has promoted one of the finest coaches in American tennis to be its next head men's tennis coach. I am thrilled for the student-athletes and the alumni because David DiLucia is one of the best in the business at building character, developing world-class tennis players, and preparing young men for life. David has reached the very top of our sport at the junior, college, and pro levels and as a result he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new leadership role. I have been lucky enough to call David a mentor of mine for almost 15 years, and I am positive that he will have a profound impact as the new head coach of the Penn men's tennis program."
Andres Pedroso, head men's tennis coach, University of Virginia
"David DiLucia is one of the top coaches in college tennis. He combines his tremendous playing accomplishments with an extensive coaching background of top junior, college, and pro players. I have known David for more than thirty years, first as one of his coaches and lastly as a fellow coach in the USTA Player Development Program. He is a skilled stroke technician as well as a master of strategy and tactics. What sets him apart, though, is a willingness to nurture and develop his players both on and off the court. Penn has made a home run hire with David DiLucia."
Rodney Harmon, head women's tennis coach, Georgia Tech
Original source can be found here.
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