Men's Tennis
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- ncarless@calpoly.edu
Two-Time Wilson ITA Southwest Region Coach of the Year (2014, 2017)
Four Big West Conference Regular-Season Championships
Two Big West Conference Tournament Championships
Two Team NCAA Tournament Appearances
Three Individual NCAA Tournament Appearances
One ITA Singles All-American at Cal Poly
Nick Carless is entering his 14th season as the head coach of the Cal Poly men's tennis program. Through the first 13 years of his Cal Poly coaching career, Carless has directed the Mustang men’s tennis program to 169 total victories, which includes a 49-16 mark during Big West regular season play.
Under Carless’ watch, Cal Poly has earned at least one All-Big West Singles First Team selection and one First Team doubles pairing in every one of his seasons.
In 2024, Carless led the Mustangs to an overall season record of 10-10 and a conference record of 4-2. The Mustangs were 4-3 at home and 4-4 on the road. Under his coaching, 7 players received All-Big West honors this season. Carless saw seniors Noah Berry and Joe Leather take First-Team All-Conference in singles, making this Berry's fourth consecutive year taking home to award. Carless also coached junior Bastiaan Weststrate and senior Colter Smith to receiving First Team All-Big West honors in doubles, freshmen Raz Haviv and Sean Kamyshev to taking home Big West Honorable Mentions for doubles and senior Fernando Fonseca receive the Big West Honorable Mention in singles. The Mustangs clinched third ranking in Big West standing for the fourth time in the last five years.
In 2022, Carless led the Mustangs to their second straight Big West regular season title, the fourth overall under him, after finishing with an overall record of 15-6 and a 5-1 Big West record. They were 9-2 at home and 5-1 on the road. Six players earned All-Big West honors, inclduing Noah Berry being named First Team All-Big West in singles and the duo of Joe Leather and Hendrik Inno being named First Team All-Big West in doubles. At the end of the season, the Mustangs finished with an ITA ranking of No. 63 in the country, marking the 11th straight year being included in the final rankings of the season.
In 2021, Carless guided the Mustangs to their third Big West regular season championship under his watch after finishing with an overall record of 14-8 and an undefeated Big West record at 6-0. They also had a perfect home record for the season. In the Big West Tournament, Cal Poly reached the championship match for the fifth time in the last six years. The Mustangs also had six players earned All-Conference honors, including Noah Berry becoming the first Mustang since 2014 to be named Big West Freshman of the Year. Cal Poly also finished with an ITA ranking of No. 72 in the country marking the 10th straight year they've been included in the national rankings.
2019 saw senior Josh Ortlip and junior Antoine Noel named First Team All-Conference in singles and Ortlip and senior Dominic Bechard were named All-Big West Doubles First Team selections. In 2018, juniors Dominic Bechard and Josh Ortlip were All-Big West Singles First Team selections. Ortlip and senior Axel Damiens were named to the All-Big West Doubles First Team selections.During 2017, the Mustangs had a tandem of seniors – Ben Donovan and Corey Pang – earn First Team singles honors as well as First Team doubles recognition.
As a team in 2019, the Mustangs finished 14-10 overall and 4-1 in the Big West for a second place regular season finish. In the Big West Tournament, the program advanced to its fourth straight championship match. The team finished the season ranked No. 71 in the ITA team rankings.
In 2018, Carless led Cal Poly to an 18-7 overall record, which included a trip to the Big West Conference Tournament Championship for the fifth time in the last seven seasons. The team was twice ranked in the ITA's Top 50 teams, including an appearance at No. 44.
In 2017, Carless guided Cal Poly to an 18-8 overall record, which included a win over UC Davis in the Big West Conference Tournament Semifinals and a championship showing for the fourth time in the last six seasons. The Mustangs won eight consecutive matches during the season, opening play at the prestigious ITA Kick-Off Weekend at Cal. Cal Poly closed the season with an ITA national ranking of No. 49.
Individually, Pang won the ITA Southwest Region Most Improved Player Award after finishing his career with a school-record total of 109 combined dual singles and doubles wins (along with a .686 winning percentage).
Carless was selected as the 2017 and 2014 Southwest Coach of the Year by Wilson and the ITA, making him one of 12 head coaches across the country to receive the regional honor both times.
The 2014 season marked the second time Carless coached the Mustangs to the NCAA Tournament as a team. In the first-round match at UCLA, Ben Donovan and senior Marco Comuzzo held third-set leads for Cal Poly against the two top-ranked players in the nation at the time the overall match was clinched by the Bruins.
Cal Poly embarked on a midseason stretch in which it won 11 of 16 dual matches, culminating in winning the Big West Tournament championship in Indian Wells.
Carless was named the conference coach of the year afterward, while Donovan earned the league’s Freshman of the Year award and five teammates joined him on the all-conference team. Three Mustangs earned the highest honors in singles, making Cal Poly the first Big West team in 19 years to have a trio of all-conference first-team members in the same season.
The postseason run came a year after the Mustangs rose to No. 45 in the national team rankings — up two spots from Carless’ first year back on campus.
In 2013, Andre Dome represented the program at the NCAA Singles Championships at Illinois, and earned All-American status by defeating Kentucky’s Anthony Rossi to make it to the Round of 16.
Also recently on Carless’ watch, Cal Poly renovated its facilities, as the seven-court complex benefited from a $250,000 project that included the installation of a state-of-the-art scoreboard.
Additionally, in the classroom, the team has received Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA in 2013 and 2014 for performing at a multi-year Academic Progress Rate that ranks in the top 10 percent of all collegiate men’s tennis programs in the country.
Carless began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant for the Pepperdine team that won the national championship in 2006. He then served as an assistant coach at Northwestern, helping to guide the Wildcats to a No. 60 final ranking. (While in Chicago, he also co-directed the Nike Tennis Camp.)
Returning to Malibu in the fall of 2007, Carless began a four-year stint as a full-time assistant for the Waves. In his five total seasons there, the program went 111-35 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament all but once.
Andre Begemann, Scott Doerner, Bassam Beidas, Omar Altmann and Sebastian Fanselow were among the All-Americans he coached at Pepperdine.
In his playing days at Cal Poly, Carless started as a freshman at No. 4 singles. In doubles, his Mustang teams went a combined 14-9 in dual matches. He transferred to Fresno State, graduating with a degree in kinesiology and exercise physiology in 2005.
Carless also previously instructed at the Malibu Summer Tennis Camp, and was the head tennis professional at the Visalia Racquet Club from 2004 to 2005.
Carless grew up in Visalia, graduating in 2000 from Golden West High School, where he was a three-time All-American and a Dean’s List student. As a youth player, he was ranked in the top five in northern California in each age division, and was slotted as high as No. 40 nationally.
"I’m a product of Cal Poly’s 'learn by doing' philosophy, and athletics is a prime example," Carless said. "I look forward not only to coaching tennis, but also to being part of a program that develops young men into responsible adults who will enjoy rewarding careers and give back to their community. My goal is to make sure all of our players leave Cal Poly with a degree and a championship ring."
