Columbus State University Athletics

Evan Isaacs enters his 28th season as the head men's and women's tennis coach at Columbus State University in 2026-27. A former Cougar student-athlete and graduate assistant coach, Isaacs has built both programs into perennial conference, regional and national contenders.

Over 27 seasons, Isaacs has established Columbus State as one of the premier tennis programs in NCAA Division II. Under his leadership, the women's program has advanced to 24 NCAA Tournaments, while the men's program has reached 19 NCAA Tournament appearances. His teams have combined for five national runner-up finishes, numerous NCAA semifinal appearances and the 2018 NCAA Division II Men's Tennis National Championship.

In 2025-26, Isaacs guided both programs to Peach Belt Conference regular-season championships. The men's team finished 20-3 overall and claimed the Peach Belt Conference regular-season title while advancing to the NCAA Tournament. On the women's side, the Lady Cougars posted a 21-5 overall record and a perfect 7-0 mark in conference play, capturing both the Peach Belt Conference regular-season and tournament championships. Columbus State also won the NCAA Southeast Regional championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Championship.

The season produced two Peach Belt Conference Players of the Year in Thomas Cardona and Nikoline Gullacksen, along with Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year Hugo Didier. Cardona and Gullacksen were named ITA Southeast Senior Players of the Year, while Hugo Didier and Claudia De Luca earned ITA Southeast Rookie of the Year honors. Gullacksen also earned ITA All-America honors in singles.

In 2024-25, Isaacs guided the men's team to a 13-11 record and an NCAA Round of 16 appearance. The women's team finished 16-7 overall and 5-1 in Peach Belt Conference play while advancing to the second round of the NCAA Southeast Regional.

The Cougars reached the NCAA Division II National Semifinals in 2024 after finishing as national runner-up in 2023. Isaacs guided the men's program to its first NCAA Division II National Championship in 2018, defeating top-ranked Barry 5-4 in the national title match. The women's program reached the national semifinals for the first time in school history in 2018 and followed with national runner-up finishes in 2019 and 2021.

Columbus State also captured the 2020 ITA Division II Men's National Indoor Championship.

In addition to national success, Columbus State has become a dominant force in the Peach Belt Conference under Isaacs. The men's and women's programs swept both the regular-season and tournament championships in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022. Throughout his tenure, Isaacs has coached more than 50 All-Americans, over 100 All-Conference selections, 11 Peach Belt Conference Players of the Year and seven Peach Belt Conference Freshmen of the Year. He has earned six Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year honors and was named the Wilson ITA National Coach of the Year following the men's national championship season in 2018.

Among the program's individual accomplishments, Paola Cigui became the first Columbus State player, male or female, to earn a No. 1 national ranking in 2013. KP Pannu reached the top ranking on the men's side in 2018 after becoming the first Cougar to capture the ITA Oracle Cup title. The doubles team of Zach Whaanga and Alvaro Regalado finished the 2018 season as the nation's top-ranked doubles team.

Prior to returning to Columbus State, Isaacs served as a private instructor and club professional, including time as head professional at Wynlakes Golf and Country Club in Montgomery, Alabama. He also worked at Callaway Gardens Resort and Shangri-La Resort in Grove, Oklahoma.

Isaacs earned his bachelor's degree in Recreation Management and master's degree in Public Administration from Columbus State. He was a two-year member of the Cougar tennis program after playing two seasons at Jefferson State Community College under legendary coach Bal Moore. Jefferson State was ranked ninth nationally in both 1992 and 1993 and won the Alabama State Junior College Championship during his tenure.

Isaacs resides in Columbus with his daughters, Jessie and Kendall.

Year-by-Year Results (Women's Tennis)

Year-by-Year Results (Men's Tennis)