Michael Cabana

Wingate University

Team:men & women

Michael Cabana enters his 14th season as head men’s and women’s tennis coach in the 2019-20 season. He has a 205-89 record on the women's side, including a 105-16 mark in SAC play. Cabana is 197-97on the men’s side, including a 102-18 record in conference play. In 2019 Cabana was named the Men's Tennis SAC Coach of the Year, while earning ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year honors on the men's and women's side. He was named the 2020 ITA Women's Tennis National Coach of the Year.

In Cabana’s first year at Wingate, the two teams went a combined 7-34, winning only one SAC match. The men’s team went undefeated in SAC play only two years later, while the women registered back-to-back 6-2 conference seasons, followed by a 21-2 overall mark in 2010-11, including a 9-0 SAC record.

Cabana has led the Wingate women to 13 total conference titles in the last eight years. The Bulldogs have won eight of the last nine regular season championships, while adding five tournament titles. Wingate has gone undefeated in league play eight of the last 10 years, going on a 76-match SAC winning streak. The Bulldogs have won 89 of their last 91 SAC matches overall. The Wingate women have had 40 All-SAC honorees during Cabana's career. He has been named the SAC Women's Tennis Coach of the Year eight of the last nine seasons. Cabana was also named the ITA Southeast Region Women's Tennis Coach of the Year in 2016.

The 2018-19 season saw the Bulldogs host the NCAA Regionals for the second straight year, earning the top seed in the region for the first time in program history. Wingate also had its first ITA Division II All-American in program history, when Michela Verpelli earned the honor on the singles side, ranking in the top 20 nationally in singles play. She was also named the SAC Scholar-Athlete and earned Academic All-America honors, along with Sydney Homan, who was named the ITA Arthur Ashe Service and Leadership national award winner in 2018. In addition, Camilla Ciaccia was named the ITA Southeast Region Rookie of the Year.

Cabana has led the Wingate men's team to 13 total conference championships over the past 11 seasons, collecting eight regular season titles and five SAC Tournament championships. The Wingate men have had 49 players earn All-SAC honors during Cabana's career. He has been named the SAC Men's Tennis Coach of the Year six times. The Wingate men have gone 99-8 in league play over the last 11 seasons.

Cabana led the Bulldogs to the SAC regular season and tournament championships for the second straight year in the 2018-19 season. Wingate cracked the ITA top five for the first time in program history. The doubles team of Josep Canyadell and Daniel Belsito was the nation's second-ranked doubles team at the end of the year, earning ITA All-American honors. Belsito was named the 2018 SAC Player of the Year and earned Academic All-America accolades, while taking home SAC Scholar-Athlete honors in 2019 while also being named the SAC Man of the Year. In addition, Tolunay was named the 2019 ITA Southeast Region Rookie of the Year.

Cabana led the Wingate women to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, starting during the 2010-11 season. He has also guided the Bulldog men to NCAA appearances five times over the last eight seasons.

In 2010, the Wingate men (14-5 overall, 7-1 SAC) advanced to the championship match of the Food Lion SAC tournament after a second-place regular season finish. The Bulldog women (13-7 overall, 6-2 SAC) completed the 2010 league regular season race in third place.

Six Bulldogs earned All-SAC honors in 2010: Matthew Lichtenstein, Bruno Pudence, Braeden Patchell, Flavio Rathsam, Kara Stasikelis and Samantha Alschlager. Lichtenstein, Patchell, Stasikelis, Ewa Opala and Kelli Ferguson received ITA Scholar-Athlete recognition for the 2010 season.

In 2009, Cabana helped the Bulldog men capture the SAC regular season title for the first time in school history. Wingate was undefeated during regular season league play (8-0 in the SAC). The Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Division II men’s tennis play-offs for the third time in the school’s senior college history. He was named the 2009 SAC men’s tennis Coach of the Year. Cabana helped the 2009 Wingate women’s tennis team finish third in the SAC regular season standings.

The first full-time tennis coach in the school’s history, Cabana served as the head tennis professional at The Tournament Players Club Piper Glen prior to joining the Bulldog family. While at TPC Piper Glen, Cabana managed all aspects of the tennis department. He coordinated all men’s, women’s and junior programs. As part of his duties, Cabana provided group and individual instruction for all ages and ability levels at the Charlotte facility.