Pawel Gajdzik Head Coach
In five years as Purdue’s head men’s tennis coach, Pawel Gajdzik has transformed a program. As the ninth head coach in program history, the Szczecin, Poland, native, has taken the Boilermakers into the national spotlight while his student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom and rise on the court. The increased level of talent that Gajdzik has brought into his program leapfrogs the year’s previous Purdue player that held the title of highest-ranked incoming freshman. It’s this high-level talent that Gajdzik is rewriting records with and setting a new standard for Boilermaker men’s tennis as he embarks upon his fifth season.
Since his first season during the 2009-10 campaign, Gajdzik has guided a trio of players to All-Big Ten second team honors, including three-time selection Mark Kovacs (2011, 2012, 2014), two-time pick Szymon Tatarczyk (2011, 2013) and Ricky Medinilla as a freshman in 2014. Medinilla was also Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Ohio Valley Region Rookie Player of the Year in 2014. He has had 11 individuals combine for 19 Academic All-Big Ten accolades and 10 individuals have combined for 16 ITA Scholar-Athlete distinctions. Gajdzik has also had four squads be named an ITA Academic Team (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014).
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Michal Kokta Assistant Coach
Purdue head men’s tennis coach Pawel Gajdzik tabbed Michal Kokta assistant coach on Aug. 13, 2014. Kokta joins the Boilermakers after spending the last three seasons on staff at his alma mater and national powerhouse, Baylor.
Kokta had served as a volunteer assistant coach with his former team since 2011. In 2013 he added the role of strength and conditioning coach early in 2013. During his three seasons, Baylor captured a pair of Big 12 Conference regular season titles and won the Big 12 Championship in 2014. The Bears advanced to the Round of 16 at the NCAA Championships in 2012 and 2013, followed by a quarterfinal appearance in 2014.