Bio

About Coach Popa…

Years at ENC: 15 (2004-Present)
Alma Mater: Eastern Nazarene
Playing Experience: Played three season of tennis at ENC
Record: 162-240 (Combined) – 133-132 (Men) & 29-108 (Women)

More About Coach Popa…

• Serves as head coach of the ENC men’s tennis, men’s cross country, and women’s cross country teams.
• Named 13th head men’s tennis coach in program history in 2004.
• Named head cross country coach in 2017.
• Coached women’s tennis program from 2007 to 2017.
• Has guided the men’s tennis team to eight Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournaments, including seven-straight trips from 2011 to 2017.
• Led the ENC men’s tennis team to the Commonwealth Coast Conference Finals for the first time in program history in 2017.
• Has coached a total of 44 All-Conference honorees, six women and 38 men.
• Under his tutelage, three individuals have been named the Commonwealth Coast Conference Player of the Year – most recently, Alex Partyka in 2017.
• Popa’s squad has also boasted back-to-back CCC Rookies of the Year with Alex Partyka in 2016 and Henry Siercke in 2017.
• In his tenure with the team, three student-athletes have earned the CCC Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Andres Biondi (2017), Austin Steelman (2013), and Tyler Restrick (2010).
• Popa was voted the Commonwealth Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 2017, 2012, and 2006.
• Popa graduated from Eastern Nazarene College with a Bachelor's of Arts in Sociology and Psychology.
• He is an active member of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and is a Certified US Professional Tennis Association Coach.
• Popa is an avid long-distance runner, having completed numerous marathons and ultra-marathons.
• Originally from Bucharest, Romania.