Sam Martinez

Randolph College

Team:men & women

Randolph College is a small Division-III liberal arts school in Virginia that offers a great education, small class sizes, and a strong tennis program. Randolph is located in the city of Lynchburg, which has a population of 250,000. We offer 29 different majors and 43 minors to choose from, all independently tailored to your interests for a future career. Randolph has five pre-professional career programs that include law, medicine, veterinary medicine, teacher licensure, and engineering. Our most popular majors among our athletes include business administration, biology, computer science, coaching and sport leadership, sport and exercise studies, and education.

In my first year with the programs in 2023, our women’s team went from a record of 5-13 in 2022 to 8-9 overall this past Spring and our men's team beat a conference rival for the first time in program history. Both teams had a combined GPA of 3.0+ and had many earn ITA All-Academic Honors. I joined Randolph College having spent the prior six years at Washington and Lee University where my teams won five ODAC Titles, earned four All-American honors, and reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 five times.

My strengths are in player development and growth having consistently made the student-athletes in my programs improve year after year. I create individualized plans for each of my athletes that are designed based on their game styles and personalities. The mental side of tennis is vital in getting the most out of what our teams’ goals are each year. I allocate a lot of time with the team to talk about how to approach not just tennis, but the entire college experience as it all goes together. Emphasizing values of shared commitment, accountability, and work ethic are foundational personality traits that I hope to instill in each of my players.

The practices we run are high energy and fun. We get a lot out of the time we put in on court so that the student-athletes have time to do their best academically. Being in peak physical condition is as important to our team's success as the tennis is. We take pride in never losing third sets. I will make you the best version of yourself on the court in your four years here.

Becoming a WildCat is like becoming a member of a family. We strive to become the best team possible in terms of communication, leadership, respect, and support. Overall, my mission as the head coach is to have you graduate with the values and skills necessary to be successful beyond college.