MOSCOW, Idaho – University of Idaho head men's tennis coach Daniel Hangstefer has announced that he will depart the university to pursue a new opportunity.

Hangstefer received Big Sky Coach of the Year honors in 2023 while leading the Vandals to back-to-back conference championships and two team berths into the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships over five seasons at the helm. 

"Coach Hangstefer has done an amazing job building one of the top men's tennis programs in the Big Sky," Director of Athletics Terry Gawlik said. "He has elevated our program each season since arriving in 2018 while guiding the Vandals to back-to-back conference titles and consecutive trips to the NCAA Championships. Beyond all the success, Hangstefer forged lasting relationships with our student-athletes and the community. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

He made the most out of his time in Moscow, most recently putting together a 15-win season en route to sealing the program's 16th conference championship and fifth conference title in the last eight seasons. He brought Idaho two regular season championships (2021, 2022) and won consecutive Big Sky tournament titles (2022, 2023). 

"While I am looking forward to my new opportunity, I want to take a moment to thank the University of Idaho for these past five years," Hangstefer said. "Idaho is truly a remarkable place. The Idaho tennis team is a historic program, and yet it is also still a sleeping giant with tremendous amounts of potential. The relationships with the community and the student-athletes will be missed. I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of the team and student-athletes, and I will continue to watch and root for this program from the outside looking in."

While at Idaho, Hangstefer helped produce eight all-conference singles selections, five All-Big Sky doubles teams and two-time Big Sky Most Valuable Player Francisco Bascon. Idaho also saw its first Big Sky Freshman of the Year honoree in Francisco Gay in 2022. 
 
The Vandals were not only atop the conference on the court but also excelled off the court as his team earned ITA All-Academic Team honors in each of the last four seasons. A total of 25 student-athletes received ITA Scholar-Athlete recognition and 22 earned a spot on the Big Sky All-Academic Team.

Gawlik and senior associate athletics director Matt Martin will launch a national search for the next men's tennis head coach immediately. 

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