TUCSON, Ariz. – University of Arizona head men's tennis coach Clancy Shields has agreed to a new contract to lead the program through the 2022 season. Shields, who was named the 2019 Pac-12 Coach of the Year and ITA Southwest Coach of the Year, led the Wildcats to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010 this past season.
 
"Clancy has done a tremendous job growing our men's tennis program in all facets in a very short time," said Vice President and Director of Athletics Dave Heeke. "Arizona Men's Tennis has established itself as a program of excellence on the court and has certainly elevated its profile nationally. The athletic success of the program is rivaled by its tremendous work in the classroom and in our community. We look forward to a future of continued success under Clancy's outstanding leadership."
 
Arizona finished the 2019 season ranked No. 30 in the country after posting a record of 17-8, which marked the most wins for the program since the 2009 campaign. Throughout the year, the Wildcats were consistently ranked in the top 40 and also won the Blue/Grey Championship, which included wins over Auburn, Texas Tech and Ole Miss in a matter of days. Shields also guided Arizona to its first win over a Pac-12 school since 2014 when the Wildcats swept Washington 4-0 on April 5.
 
"I want to thank Dave Heeke for his leadership and support, and entrusting me to continue to lead our young men," Shields said. "It is an honor to coach here at the University of Arizona and to work alongside so many talented individuals. I'm incredibly grateful to our entire staff for the work they have done and to the many student-athletes who have enriched my life. We are excited for the future, and we will work tirelessly to build one of the premier tennis programs in the country."
 
Under Shields' direction, Jonas Ziverts was an All-Pac-12 selection and was named the ITA Southwest Rookie of the Year while becoming the first Wildcat to compete at the NCAA Singles Championships since 2006. Filip Malbasic, who set the record for most singles wins in program history in 2019, was also named Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 and both finished the season ranked in the ITA polls.
 
In 2018, Shields led Arizona to 16 wins, which at the time was the most since 2009 and also helped Igor Karpovets become the first Arizona freshman since 2006 to be named to the All-Pac-12 team. Off the court, Malbasic and Aaro Pollanen were named ITA Scholar-Athletes.
 
As a team, the Wildcats won the 2019 ITA Southwest Community Service Award a year after being named an ITA All-Academic team in 2018. In his three seasons as head coach, eight Wildcats have been named Pac-12 All-Academic, including Malbasic who was named to the First Team this year.
 
Shields came to Arizona in 2017 after three seasons as the head coach at Utah State. He led the Aggies to the 2016 Mountain West title and was named Wilson/ITA Mountain Region Coach of the Year and Mountain West Coach of the Year.