Tennis Coach
Head Coach Chris O'Brien - Third Season
Chris O'Brien enters his third season as the head coach of the men's and women's tennis programs at Connecticut College. O'Brien also serves as the assistant coach for men's and women's squash.
Under O'Brien's direction, both tennis teams enjoyed successful seasons in 2011. Led by seniors Craig Stanton and Trevor Prophet, the Camel men finished with a mark of 12-10. Junior Jeff Weisberger enjoyed a breakout season at #2 singles and sophomore George King continued to develop into one of the top talents in the conference at #3.
The women won four out of their last five matches to close out the season with a 3-5 mark in league play, their best NESCAC record in recent history. Cassie Smith and Jen Herbert continued to improve as key contributors in the starting line-up. Seniors Becca Heupel and Caroline Barone provided valuable leadership and closed out their careers with victories in their final match against Hamilton.
O'Brien was hired as the interim head men's and women's tennis coach in February of 2009. Under his direction, the men's squad ended the season well, winning three of their final four matches. The women's team recorded a four-match winning streak in the month of March.
O'Brien arrived in New London after six years as the men's and women's tennis coach at Roger Williams University. There, he helped direct the Hawks' women's program to back-to-back appearances in the 2007 and 2008 NCAA Tournament. The men's team was also successful reaching the second round of Nationals in 2009.
O'Brien also served as the Director of Student Advocacy at Roger Williams. In this position, he directed the peer mentoring program for incoming freshmen. He was also responsible for managing the Student Advocacy Office, an advising support office.
He taught a first-year seminar and an academic probation class to freshman as well as directing a leadership program for underrepresented students at Roger Williams. In 2004, he was named Unsung Hero for Enrollment Management.
Prior to Roger Williams, O'Brien spent six years as the head men's tennis coach at the University of Rochester, his alma mater. At Rochester, O'Brien's teams qualified for the NCAA Championship from 2001-2003. He also served as the men's squash coach for three years and as the coach of the women's squash club program from 2002-2003.
Dan Schoenherr-Assistant Coach - Third Season
Dan Schoenherr returns to Connecticut College for his third season as the part-time assistant men's and women's tennis coach; he served in a similar capacity last spring. A 2003 graduate of the University of Rochester, Dan played four years of varsity tennis under Coach Chris O'Brien and captained the team to national tournament appearances in 2001 and 2003.
Upon the completion of his playing career at Rochester, Schoenherr was presented the prestigious John Vitone Award. The award is presented to one male athlete at the university who exemplifies "Outstanding Sportsmanship."
Schoenherr currently resides in New York City and works as a management consultant for a number of Fortune 500 companies throughout the tri-state region. He holds a Masters in Finance from Princeton University and has worked in the past as a financial analyst.
Last Modified: Thursday, September 15, 2011 3:40 PM