The College of Staten Island Athletics Department has named Ryan Frankel as their new Head Coach for both men’s and women’s tennis. Frankel is coming to CSI by way of Queens College, taking over for former coaches Arthur Kapetanakis (men) and Emanuel Imperial (women).
“We are happy to have Ryan on board leading our tennis programs,” said CSI Director of Athletics Charles Gomes. “We believe his extensive experience as a collegiate student-athlete combined with his knowledge and passion for tennis will help steer our teams in the right direction. I look forward to working with Ryan in the coming months to make that happen.”
Frankel’s coaching experiences may not necessarily be long, but they are distinguished. The top level NCAA Division II standout at Queens College parlayed a very successful playing career into coaching with the Knights since 2016.
“My excitement level is at the highest it has ever been,” Frankel said. “It’s a honor to be selected as the next head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis team at the College of Staten Island. It’s a whole new chapter, not just for myself but for the program as well and I can’t wait for the season to get underway. I would also like to thank Charles Gomes and the Staten Island community for this opportunity.”
An English native, Frankel attended the Bournemouth School in England before starting his collegiate tennis career at the University of Indianapolis. He transferred to nearby Queens College in 2014 and assumed a major role on the team, capturing a 12-2 singles record and 14-3 doubles record in 2015, helping lead the Knights to the NCAA Division II East Regional Semifinals. In his senior season Frankel registered seven wins in Singles and continued to excel as a tremendous Doubles player, posting a 13-5 overall mark with four different partners, as Queens advanced out of the NCAA Tournament Preliminary Round and into the East Region Final.
From there, Frankel was an assistant coach with the men’s and women’s units at Queens. The Knights captured an ECC Championship on the men’s side in 2017, advancing to the NCAA’s Sweet 16 round of play, while the women’s unit accomplished the same in 2016 and advanced to the Sweet 16 again in 2017. All the winning helped Frankel understand the tasks needed to build a championship-contender on the east coast.
“I plan to implement a quality practice routine that will involve a lot of fitness and technical work that will prepare the athletes for anything they might encounter within a match. I’ll also look to load up the schedule to hone our skills in preparation for CUNYAC matches. Discipline is something I pride myself in and I will pass that along to the team and hold them to a high standard,” he said.
Frankel’s coaching extends beyond the collegiate scene at Queens. He has served as a tennis professional with Annacone Tennis Management, and has served as an Associate Head Pro and Head of the Junior Program at Key Tennis in East Hampton, NY. Working with youth primarily has helped Frankel understand the process of working with many different types of players and abilities, and he hopes it will serve him better on the recruiting circuit.
“Building a diverse group and using my contacts over in Germany to bring in some international talent to mix in with the local talent. Aside from having contacts overseas, I have formed good relationships with high school coaches in the area and I plan to use them to help build this program back up to the championship caliber they were in the past.”
Frankel will begin his tenure immediately with the CSI men’s program. The Dolphins finished 10-5 a year ago, but were bounced in the CUNYAC Semifinal Round. The men’s unit is one of the programs at CSI that has gone the longest without a CUNYAC title, having been shut out since 2003. The CSI women’s team, which will play a modified spring schedule, muddled through a 3-7 campaign in 2018, and have posted an 18-22 record the past three seasons. Frankel recognizes the department’s willingness to build a winner and is willing to go the extra mile in making CSI one of the region’s premiere programs.
“The goal, as always, will to bring CUNYAC titles back to the College of Staten Island and make our name known nationally. It’s going to be an uphill battle but I believe we can constantly have our name in the hat for the CUNYAC Championship match every season.”
The CSI men’s season will begin in early-March, and culminated with the CUNYAC Championship in late-April.
