Mark Goldin was named the head coach of the Milwaukee women’s tennis program in August, 2023.
In his first season, the Panthers went 9-12 overall, finishing the year as the No. 4 seed (3-3 record) for the Horizon League Tournament before suffering a heartbreaker in the opening round. He coached Babette Burgersdijk to Second-Team All-Horizon League accolades and his team shined in the classroom, posting the highest grade point average in the department with his student-athletes winning countless academic honors. The mark was not only was the highest team GPA across the MKE Athletic Department, but was also honored by the Horizon league with the “Raise Your Sights” award, recognizing the highest GPA for any women’s team across the entire league.
His team had to battle through and overcome numerous injuries in year No. 2, finishing with an 8-17 overall mark that yielded a strong finish - knocking off third-seeded Oakland in the Horizon League Championships before falling in the semifinals to eventual league champion Youngstown State. The academic awards continued to roll in and Goldin coached Nadiia Konieva to Second-Team All-Horizon League accolades. He also added a historic result, leading MKE to its first-ever win over Marquette with a 4-3 decision in February.
Goldin came to Milwaukee following a very successful run as the head coach at Cardinal Stritch University and, most recently, as the assistant general manager at Elite Sports Club in Mequon.
“We feel very fortunate to bring in a new head coach with a background as successful and extensive as what Mark Goldin will bring to our tennis program,” Director of Athletics Amanda Braun said at the time of his hiring. “His track record, as well as his national recognition in the tennis world as both a coach and a recruiter, stand on their own and his familiarity with our program from his prior time as an assistant with the Panthers will make his transition a quick one. I am certain he will hit the ground running and am excited for him to meet our student-athletes and get started with moving our program forward.”
His tenure at Cardinal Stritch from 2013 to 2021 was impressive, earning the Wilson ITA Women’s NAIA National Coach of the Year Award in 2014 in addition to four East Region Wilson ITA Coach of the Year accolades and Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors on eight different occasions (4 women’s/4 men’s).
“I am very excited to be joining the Panther family and honored to be named the next head coach,” Goldin said. “My wife and five-year old daughter are also excited for the opportunity and we are all happy for the chance to remain close by in Mequon for me to begin this next step in my tennis career.”
Goldin guided the Wolves to a 64-1 overall CCAC conference record over his first eight seasons on the women’s side after founding the program, eight CCAC Conference championship titles, and a team ranking as high as No. 4 in the nation.
On the men’s side, the team went 61-4 in CCAC play, claiming seven league titles as well as a national ranking as high as No. 2 in back-to-back seasons. His teams also received the highest team GPA awards from the department numerous times, including winning the award on each side his final semester.
No stranger to the Panthers, Goldin served as an assistant with the program from 2009 through 2012, helping the team improve from near the bottom of the league standings to a Top-3 program in his time. In fact, MKE went from five team wins, 39 individual wins and a 2-6 conference record in his first year to 13 team wins, 126 individual wins and a 6-2 Horizon League record for third place, the best in school history at the time.
Goldin also played in the Horizon League collegiately at Green Bay, where he was a four-year member of the Phoenix tennis team. He played No. 1 and No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles all four years, picking up a spot on the All-Horizon League Team on three occasions.
Prior to college at UWGB, Goldin played at Nicolet High School, leading the Knights to a state championship and also a runner-up appearance in the state tournament.
Goldin founded the Smack Tennis Academy in Milwaukee, where he trained high school athletes and developed them into NCAA collegiate players and beyond.
Mark and his wife Maddy live with their daughter in Mequon.
