Rex Ecarma - Men's Tennis Coach - University of Louisville Athletic

Rex Ecarma

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
rex@GoCards.com
Phone:
852-0217

Rex Ecarma recently completed his 29th season as head coach of the University of Louisville. The Louisville native, and former Cardinal standout has helped his alma mater achieve several impressive milestones, including five conference championships and 12 NCAA team regional appearances with six regional finals and a round of 16 showing in 2010.

His players have collected 16 NCAA individual championship berths, earning eight singles and eight doubles selections. In 2010, Austen Childs posted an NCAA singles runner-up finish and followed with a round of 16 appearances in 2011 while Sebastian Stiefelmeyer (2015) and Michael Mather (1998) also reached round of 16 to earn ITA All-American status. The duo of Austen Childs and Viktor Maksimcuk reached the NCAA outdoor quarterfinals in 2010, becoming the first UofL’s doubles team to garner all-America honors.

Ecarma’s teams have appeared in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings several times, reaching as high as No. 10 in 2010. Additionally, 37 players have been ranked at least once in singles, doubles, or both throughout their careers with Stiefelmeyer earning the nation’s top ranking in 2015 after he won the 2014 ITA All-American Singles Championship. Austen Childs was ranked as high as No. 10 in the nation in singles and teamed with Maksimcuk for a program-best No. 6 ranking in doubles. In 2018, Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff and Parker Wynn matched that showing.

Under Ecarma’s guidance the Cardinals garnered five all-America selections and 56 all-conference honorees spanning four different leagues. They have also amassed 48 ITA Scholar Athlete accolades.

The four-time conference coach of the year (Conference USA 2000); BIG EAST (2006, 2010, 2012) played for the Cardinals from 1984-1987.

Most recently, Ecarma led Louisville to a 15-12 overall record. Under his tutelage, Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff was named to the All-ACC third team, becoming the first player in program history to earn All-ACC honors three times. Additionally, two players, Morin-Kougoucheff and senior Brandon Lancaster, were ranked among the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s ranked singles players with Morin-Koughoucheff reaching as high as No. 36 and Lancaster standing at No. 104. The two seniors also teamed for a doubles ranking of No. 53 while the duo of Lancaster and senior George Hedley appeared at No. 34 and Morin-Kougoucheff paired with freshman Fabien Salle at No. 90 in the national doubles rankings.

In 2018, the Cardinals posted a 15-11 overall record and competed in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships. All-ACC selections Morin-Kougoucheff and Parker Wynn appeared in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Doubles Rankings in each of the 11 weeks they were eligible, reaching as high as No. 6 at the conclusion of the fall tournament season and finished the year at No. 25. It marked the second straight NCAA doubles appearance for Wynn who also earned an at-large bid as a freshman in 2017.

Morin-Kougoucheff was selected as an alternate for the NCAA singles tournament and earned a spot in the 64-player field. He was ranked eight times throughout the season, reaching as high as No. 53 and finishing at No. 69. He became the ninth NCAA singles selection in program history and only the third player to qualify in both singles and doubles.
After leading the Cards to 7-0 shutout victory over Charlotte on Feb. 9, 2018, Ecarma earned his 450th career victory, becoming one of just five coaches in the history of Louisville Athletics to achieve the milestone.

In 2017, Ecarma guided the Cardinals to a 22-10 overall record, orchestrating an impressive turnaround after a 2016 rebuilding season. Louisville improved its win percentage from .468 in 2016 to .688 and returned to the NCAA team championships while advancing to the regional finals. Additionally, the doubles team of senior Sean Donohue and Wynn earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Doubles Championship after spending the majority of the season in the ITA’s top 25 rankings. Morin-Kougoucheff and Wynn also earned All-ACC recognition. In addition to the accomplishments on the court, Ecarma’s program achieved a perfect 1.000 single season score in the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) report.

In 2016, UofL posted 15 wins with senior Alex Gornet earning All-ACC honors. Over the summer, Ecarma coached the USTA Southern Boys and Girls 14U team to the national Zonals championship and was named United State Tennis Association Kentucky Coach of the Year, earning the honor for the third time in his career.

The Cardinals wrapped up a successful 2015 season which produced the program’s 11th NCAA appearance and an impressive 23-9 overall record. Louisville went 7-5 in its inaugural ACC season and was ranked as high as No. 23 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) team rankings. On March 20, 2015, the Cardinals upset No. 10 North Carolina at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center to give Ecarma his 400th career win as a head coach.

In addition to the team accolades, senior Sebastian Stiefelmeyer became one of the most decorated players in program history. The Vienna, Austria native became the first Louisville player to win the ITA All-American Championship and proceeded to become the top-ranked singles player in the nation – twice. He spent the entire season in the top 10 and finished his career at No. 9. Stiefelmeyer was the overall No. 5 seed in the NCAA Singles Championship and went on to earn All-America honors after reaching the round of 16. Among his other accolades, the All-ACC first team selection was also Louisville’s first national ITA Arthur Ashe Award winner and the Ohio Valley Most Improved Senior of the Year.

Fellow 2015 senior Albert Wagner also earned All-ACC honors and spent 10 weeks in the ITA singles rankings reaching as high as No. 59. The doubles team of Jeffrey Brown and Alex Gornet were also among the top 100 tandems in the nation during six ranking periods and reached as high as No. 56.

The 2015 season came on the heels of a 2014 campaign in which they posted a 21-8 overall record and earned the program’s fifth NCAA tournament appearance in the last six years.

In 2013, Ecarma’s Cardinals posted 15-13 record and a runner-up finish in the BIG EAST championship. The Cards were ranked as high as No. 34 in the ITA team rankings. Additionally, three players: Stiefelmeyer, Alex Gornet and Albert Wagner appeared in the top 100 singles rankings while Gornet and Wagner were ranked as high as No. 31 in doubles. Stiefelmeyer and Wagner were selected to the All-BIG
EAST Conference team for the second straight season.

In 2012, Louisville captured its third straight BIG EAST Conference title and made their fourth consecutive NCAA appearance. The 2012 league coach of the year oversaw the Cards to an 18-10 record and helped guide three All-BIG EAST selections including league Freshman of the Year and Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player Sebastian Stiefelmeyer.

In 2011, coach Ecarma guided the Cardinals to their second straight BIG EAST Conference title and earned their third consecutive NCAA regional berth. Additionally, the Cards were ranked as high as No. 12 while appearing in the top 25 in 10 ranking periods.

The 2010 season will go down in the record books as the most successful season in Louisville men’s tennis history. They broke records for most wins in a season (24) as well as fewest losses in a season (6). The Cardinals earned their highest ever ranking in the ITA poll at No. 10 during the season and finished the season ranked at No. 13, their best post season ranking.

Throughout the year, the Cards earned many firsts in program history including their first ever National Indoor Championship qualifier. They beat No. 29 Louisiana State and No. 32 Wisconsin to become one of the 16 teams to earn a bid into the finals.

The 2010 Cardinals earned another first when they became the first in the history of the program to win the NCAA regional championship and advance to the round of 16. While hosting the regional tournament, the Cards beat Eastern Kentucky and No. 23 Virginia Tech to reach the round of 16.

The 2010 season also proved to be a successful one for junior Austen Childs who became the most decorated player in Louisville history. Childs became the first Louisville player to play for a national championship, where he earned the national runner-up title. His remarkable run through the NCAA tournament was the first time any Louisville player ever made it past the round of 16. Childs finished his 33-12 season with numerous awards and honors including ITA All-American, BIG EAST Player of the Year, and U of L’s adidas High Performance Athlete.

Coach Rex Ecarma also saw personal success during the record-setting season by being named BIG EAST Coach of the Year after the Cards’ conference championship victory. He also recorded his 300th career victory as coach of the Cardinals on Feb. 27 as the Cards beat No. 38 Oklahoma State 6-1.

In 2009, Ecarma oversaw the Cardinals to a No. 22 post-season ranking. The Cardinals earned three All-BIG EAST selections and sophomore Austen Childs secured the conference Player of the Year honors. Austen Childs earned a spot in the NCAA singles championship and teamed with fellow sophomore Simon Childs for a doubles appearance. The duo also achieved the program’s highest ranking at No. 6 and finished the season at No. 29.

In 2007, Ecarma led the Cards to a runner-up finish in the BIG EAST tournament and guided seniors Damar Johnson and Slavko Radman to Louisville’s second consecutive appearance in the NCAA doubles championship. The pair also reached the program’s highest doubles rankings at No. 7.

In 2006, the Cardinals opened their first season in the BIG EAST Conference by capturing the tournament title and earning their third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance - the school’s fifth appearance since 1998. U of L was also selected to host the 2006 NCAA first and second rounds for the first time in school history. They advanced to the second round of the regional for the second year in a row. In addition, the Cardinals won the 2006 HEB National Invitational and achieved the highest team ranking in program history at No. 12 and had three singles players and two doubles teams ranked.

The record-setting 2006 season, culminated with Ecarma being named BIG EAST Coach of the Year. In 2005, Ecarma posted his 200th career win, becoming one of the youngest NCAA Division I coaches to reach that milestone.

UofL sent a doubles team to the NCAA championship six times since 2006 and a singles player six times since 1998 when Michael Mather first earned the honor. In 2010, Austen Childs finished runner-up in the NCAA Singles Championship for the first time in program history.

Ecarma was named Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2000 after guiding the Cardinals to their first ever conference title and their second NCAA tournament appearance in three years. Ecarma led the Cards to more overall team wins (162) than any other Conference USA team since 1996, the league’s inaugural season.

In 1990, he became one of the youngest head coaches in Division I men’s tennis in the country at the age of 23. Under Ecarma’s tutelage, the school has attained its highest national ranking at No. 10 in the ITA computer rankings, while spending several weeks among the nation’s top 25.

Sixteen of his former players have continued their careers professionally and earned ATP points at the Futures/Challenger lever. He coached former touring professionals Andy Schrecker, Russell Schutzman, Michael Mather and Cody Conley. He also coached former NCAA All-Americans Scott Campbell and Mather. Forty-eight of his former players have gone on to become tennis coaches.

Ecarma, the 2000 Kentucky Tennis Association Coach of the Year, also received the honor in 1998 after he led the Cardinals to an 18-8 season and the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance. Ecarma has been on the NCAA Tournament Regional Selections Committee four times. He was selected as the 2005 Chairman of the Conference USA coaches, a position which he also held in 2003 and 1997. He is currently serving on the Midwest Regional ranking committee.

Ecarma serves as the director of the national award winning Bass-Rudd Tennis Center, for which he designed the operations manual and business plan. Before the center was built, he was instrumental in sharing his vision of a facility with boosters and the university and hired the original staff. He also aided the development of the tennis center by raising money with the help of boosters, U of L officials and the Louisville community. The $3.75 million facility was constructed in his fifth season at U of L. Ecarma assisted in the development of the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center’s outdoor court expansion, scoreboard and stadium seating.

Ecarma’s successes are not limited to coaching. In November of 2000 he was given the Distinguished Filipino-American Award by the Filipino Medicine Association of Kentucky and Indiana. A sought-after motivational speaker, he was named among the Who’s Who for Executive Managers in 1999. In 1998 he was named to the Business First’s “40 Under 40” list as one of the top young leaders in the Louisville area. That same year, he was a member of the International Who’s Who. Ecarma also earned the Outstanding Teacher Award in 1997-98, the Community Service Award in 1996-98 and the Mentor Appreciation Award in 1998.

The Doss High School graduate was introduced in the All-Time Outstanding Graduates of Jefferson County Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame with other Louisville athletes such as Wes Unseld, Darrell Griffith, Phil Simms, New York Knicks’ star Allan Houston, Portland Trailblazers’ Derek Anderson and former WNBA star Kym Hampton.

As a result of all of his coaching and playing achievements - as well as his involvement in the local tennis community - Ecarma was inducted into the Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame in February 2007.

Before embarking on his successful coaching career, Ecarma was a standout player for UofL. He followed in the footsteps of his older brother Reggie who was a letter winner for the Cards from 1980-82. Coach Ecarma is currently ranked second in the school’s career doubles wins list with 92. As a junior, Ecarma compiled 58 total singles and doubles wins, placing him second in all-time combined wins in a single season. During his playing career, he also posted 17 wins over players from top 25 teams.

In Ecarma’s senior year, the Cards qualified for the National Indoor Qualifying Team Championships for the top six teams in the Southeast. In 1987 they recorded the school’s first ever win over a top 25 team, defeating SEC Champion and 25th ranked Auburn. Ecarma was runner-up in his position in the Metro Conference Individual Tournament in 1985 and 1987 and placed third in 1986.

A Louisville native, Ecarma earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from the University of Louisville where he was the 1987 recipient of the coveted Ed Kallay Award which honors the top student-athlete in the University. He earned a Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurial Management from Regent University in 1995. In 1996 he married Melissa Guess. They have three children: Alexis (19), Xavier (17) and Landon (13).