Demorest, GA -- Shane Wood has been named the head coach for both the men's and women's tennis programs at Piedmont College as announced by the Department of Athletics. Wood spent the last three years at NCAA Division-I Jacksonville University in Florida, but is very familiar with the PC tennis program having served as the head men's and women's tennis coach for the Lions over eight seasons.

“The athletic department is very pleased that Shane is able to return to Piedmont College as he headed a very successful tennis program during his tenure here in Demorest,” said Athletic Director John Dzik. “With Shane's return to PC, we anticipate a return to championship caliber for the men's and women's tennis program.”

Wood's homecoming to Piedmont comes after having taken over the reins of both the men's and women's programs at Jacksonville University for three years. In only his first season on campus at JU, Wood continued the winning ways he established at PC by guiding the women's team at Jacksonville to the best season in program history going 20-5 while recording only the second ever NCAA appearance for the women's side of the JU tennis program. That 2008 women's squad rattled off 16 straight victories that included an Atlantic Sun Conference tournament championship before falling to the University of Florida, who ranked sixth nationally, in NCAA Tournament action.

Although the tennis program at Jacksonville experienced success at the highest level as a team during Wood's tenure, his players also experienced a high level of achievement as individuals as well. In only three seasons at the helm, Wood produced 11 Atlantic Sun All-Conference performers while also mentoring a trio of All-Freshman honorees. Additionally, one of Wood's first recruits garnered conference Freshman of the Year honors in his debut season with the women's side of the tennis program.

Wood is no stranger to success or to Piedmont as he spent eight successful seasons directing both the men's and women's tennis teams at PC from 1999-2007 compiling 150 wins overall and nine combined Great South Athletic Conference titles. Wood re-established the tennis programs at Piedmont College after a dormant three year period prior to his arrival and was able to record seven straight GSAC men's titles from 2001-2007 while claiming back-to-back women's titles in 2004 and 2005. He was named the Great South Athletic Conference Coach of the Year six straight times on the men's side from 2002-2007 and twice for the women in 2004 and 2005.

The highlight of Wood's time as the head man at PC came in 2004 when the veteran coach led his men's team to the school's first ever national ranking as the Lions finished 23rd in all of NCAA Division-III. He mentored participants in the NCAA men's singles championship in 2004 and 2005 while sending a doubles team to the national tournament in 2005. Wood's squads received even more national recognition when the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) awarded Piedmont players with first-team All-America accolades in singles and doubles in 2001-2002 and 2002-2003. Wood also had a player become only one of 29 student-athletes across the country to be named a recipient of the NCAA's prestigious post-graduate scholarship.

Though Shane spent many years on the court as a coach for Piedmont, his first experience as a Lion came as a player in 1993 and 1994 as he donned the green and gold for two seasons.

“I feel very blessed to have the chance to come back to Piedmont as the head coach for the men's and women's tennis programs,” said Wood about his recent hiring. “I gained a great deal of invaluable experience while coaching at JU, but the opportunity to come home to PC was one which I could not have passed up. I'm looking forward to working with the great people and student-athletes around the program once again.”

As a certified professional with the United States Professional Tennis Association since 2005, Wood has also been a member of the Atlantic-South Regional Advisory Committee for NCAA Division-III men's tennis. The University of Georgia graduate earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from UGA in 1998 before moving on to complete his Master of Business Administration in Public Administration from Piedmont in 2004.

Wood married the former Jennifer Haygood in 1996, and the two have three children including seven-year old Payton, six-year old Abby, and four-year old Graham.