May 14, 2018
By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After five seasons, University of Notre Dame men’s tennis associate head coach Adam Schaechterle will take the next step in his career, heading west to take the helm of the men’s tennis program at Pepperdine University.
Schaechterle was introduced as the Waves’ head coach Monday, and he will conclude his tenure at Notre Dame effective June 1.
“What an incredible five years it’s been working with Adam,” said Callaghan Family Head Men’s Tennis Coach Ryan Sachire. “I can’t thank him enough for his hard work, loyalty and support during that time. Adam has quickly branded himself as one of the top rising coaches in our profession, and he will do an outstanding job leading the Pepperdine program. Adam, his wife Kristin and their kids will always be a part of the Notre Dame tennis family, and we all wish nothing but the best as they begin the next chapter of their lives on the west coast.”
“My family and I are grateful for our time at Notre Dame and appreciate the opportunity to work with and learn from so many wonderful people,” Schaechterle said. “(Faculty athletics representative) Tricia Bellia, (senior deputy athletics director) Missy Conboy, (senior associate athletics director) Jill Bodensteiner, (senior associate athletics director) Mike Harrity, (associate athletics director and sport administrator) Angie Torain, (assistant director of special projects) Jenny Borg, (former senior associate athletics director and sport administrator) Dan Skendzel and (assistant athletics director) Heidi Uebelhor all sacrificed significant time and energy to support my development as a coach. I also learned valuable lessons from coaches in many other sports, who graciously allowed me to attend their practices or pick their brain about recruiting and player development.
“The student-athletes at Notre Dame were a privilege to coach. The young men that came through our program impacted our family and became dear friends after graduation. Lastly, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Ryan. He embodies the values and, more importantly, the spirit of Notre Dame athletics. He has built a program that will compete for championships, but he has never sacrificed his commitment to delivering an incredible experience to each individual student-athlete.”
In his five seasons with the Irish, Schaechterle helped lead the program to four NCAA Championships appearances, five NCAA Singles Championship invitations by four different players, three NCAA Doubles Championship invitations by four different players and two appearances in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship semifinals. His players have earned three All-American honors (Quentin Monaghan in singles and doubles and Alex Lawson in doubles) and nine All-ACC designations. Additionally, two of his players – Greg Andrews in 2014 and Monaghan in 2016 – have been named national winners of the ITA/Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship and Leadership Award.
A talented recruiter, Schaechterle helped the Irish sign three top-10 recruiting classes, including the No. 5 class in 2015.
Schaechterle joined the Notre Dame men’s tennis staff in 2013 as an assistant coach, ascending to the post of associate head coach prior to the 2015-16 season. Prior to joining the Irish staff, Schaechterle, a 2006 Northwestern graduate, coached for two seasons at the University of North Florida.
During his time at North Florida, Schaechterle helped lead the Ospreys to a 34-14 record and the first two berths in the Atlantic Sun Championship finals in program history among many other accomplishments. The program also experienced its first undefeated Atlantic Sun regular season (2013; 8-0), its highest-ever national ranking (No. 50, March 20, 2012), its first top-10 national doubles ranking (No. 10), its first nationally ranked recruiting class (No. 15 by tennisrecruiting.net), its first invitation to the ITA Kick-Off Weekend and its first individual NCAA Championship appearance (2013 doubles championship).
The 2013 Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year, Schaechterle helped lead the doubles duo of Moritz Buerchner and Norbert Nemcsek to a round of 16 appearance at the 2013 NCAA Doubles Championship and a final ranking of 26.
In two years, Schaechterle coached eight all-conference performers, two all-freshmen performers and one Atlantic-Sun Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Buerchner 2013).
Prior to coaching at UNF, Schaechterle spent over a year at his alma mater as an assistant coach. There he helped with all aspects of the program including fundraising, recruiting and scheduling. Schaechterle’s first job out of college was at Wilson Sporting Goods as the Tour and Juniors Manager for the Americas region. He was responsible for recruiting and managing junior and professional players in North and South America and overseeing all contract negotiations in Asia and Australia.
As a student-athlete with the Wildcats, Schaechterle was a team captain and ranked in the top-30 of the ITA’s national doubles rankings. He helped lead Northwestern to the 2005 NCAA Championship as a junior, before being selected for the 2006 NCAA Doubles Championship as a senior. Upon graduation, he remained on as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2007 season.
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Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame men’s tennis and fencing programs, in addition to assisting with football communications and overseeing production of the football Gameday Magazine. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University and earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2013.