Brian Nester enters his 13th year with Northern Kentucky Tennis in the 2024-2025 season.
In the 2023-24 campaign, the men's program posted a third straight winning season while finishing second in the Horizon League, while the women advanced to the semifinals of the Horizon League Championships. Off the court, both programs ranked among the best on campus, posting GPAs above 3.3.Â
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The 2022-23 season saw successes for both the women's and men's programs of NKU, both posting winning records yet again. The women have now recorded a winning season for the past three years and the Norse men have posted a winning year for two consecutive as well. The Norse women made the trip to Ann Arbor for the Horizon League Championships where they ultimately fell to Tennessee Tech in the quarterfinals. The men's program also qualified for the Horizon League Championship Tournament and went on to fall to No. 5 seeded Milwaukee in Ann Arbor. Both programs posted academic excellence yet again as numerous members from the men's and women's squads earned both Fall and Spring Horizon League Academic Honor Roll selections. On the court for the women, they saw two Horizon League Doubles Team of the Week honors with Elizabeth Rozin - Ashlee Fisk and Mariajose Hernandez - Laura Sola Grau each picking up this honor. Rozin additionally earned herself a #HLTennis Singles Player of the Week selection and was named to the conference All-League Second Team by the year's end. The men's duo of Bartosz Losiak and Josef Zapletal were dominate in doubles action for NKU this season, earning two Horizon League Doubles Team of the Week honors throughout the season.Â
In 2021, both teams continue to set the standard in the classroom and each earned the 2020-2021 Raise Your Sights honor, with the men posting a a 3.47 GPA and the women finishing with a 3.72 GPA, a mark better than any other team in NKU’s athletic department. On the court, the men’s team went on to its first Horizon League Championship match since joining the Horizon League, finishing second in the league and posting a 10-5 record overall (5-3 in conference). Emilien Burnel earned Horizon League Player of the Week on March 11 and Doubles Team of the Week on April 14 with teammate Andrew Niehaus. Burnel was named to the Horizon League First-Team and Niehaus picked up the Horizon League Second-Team honor. As for the women’s side, the team went 7-6 overall and finished fifth in the Horizon League. Margita Sunjic closed out her impressive career with the Norse, earning a spot on the All-Horizon League First Team for the third time and picked up her fourth Horizon League All-Academic Team honor. Junior Maria Koo also earned first-team honors and was the 2021 recipient of the Herb Foster Sportsmanship Award.
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Before the 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the men’s team went 6-6 and the women posted a 6-3 record, picking up two 6-1 wins over Dayton and Western Kentucky. The men’s team picked up two promising freshman, with Emilien Burnel of La Teste-de-Buch, France and Brandon Ponomarew from Ontario, Canada. Burnel earned Horizon League Doubles Team of the Week with Nathan Schwartz on March 12 and went 8-2 overall in doubles play. On the women’s side, Margita Sunjic continued to be a standout player, on and off the court. She earned player of the week on February 4 and picked up her third Horizon League All-Academic Team honor.
In 2019, the men's team advanced to the Horizon League Tournament and posted five wins during the regular season, including a 5-2 win over rival Wright State. Rookie Nathan Schwartz was named to the All-Horizon League First Team, and Blaine Carr was named the recipient of the Herb Foster Sportsmanship Award for the second time while also being named to the all-academic team. On the women's side, the Norse picked up seven wins on the year, including three in league play. Margita Sunjic earned her third All-Horizon League First Team honor, along with all-academic distinction, and Maria Koo was named to the second team.
2018 was a successful one for the women's program, with Margita Sunjic reprising as the Horizon League Player of the Year as well as earning All-Academic Honors. Sunjic had a landmark win in the fall with NKU's first ranked win in the Division I era, taking down No. 108 Madara Straume of UNCW at the prestigious Oracle/ITA Masters Invitational. The Norse made the Horizon League Tournament for the first time, and Maria Koo was also honored on the All-Horizon League Second Team in her rookie campaign. NKU's sportsmanship was highlighted on both the men's and women's squads, as Hannah Watton and Blaine Carr were both named the recipient of the Herb Foster Sportsmanship Award.
The 2017 women's season was highlighted by the addition of Margita Sunjic. The Croatian native dropped just one contest in League play and was named the Horizon League Player and Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Norse to do so in the Division I era and the first since 1998. Klara Skopac was also named to the Second Team and All-Academic Team, while Mate Virag finished his senior campaign with First Team and All-Academic Team honors. Virag also was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team along with Lukas Clemens.
Four Norse earned recognition in the 2015-16 campaign. Mate Virag was named First Team All-Horizon League, while Jody Maginley, Lukas Clemens and Klara Skopac earned second team recognition. Under Nester's direction, the NKU men's tennis team finished third in the Horizon League and advanced to the tournament semifinals.
During the 2014-15 campaign, Nester led both the men’s and women’s squad as they qualified for the Atlantic Sun Tournament. Under Nester’s guidance, the men’s program has been the top team on campus in academic success for the past two years, earning a 3.66 GPA in the fall of 2015. Additionally, 12 student-athletes across the men’s and women’s programs earned 2014-15 Atlantic Sun All-Academic honors.
Prior to Division I, Nester led the Norse men's team to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Round of 16 during the 2012 season.
Nester's ties to the tennis community are extensive. Prior to joining NKU, Nester guided the tennis operations at the Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio, for 15 years. From 1990-1996, he served as Head Professional and Director of Tennis at the Five Seasons Sports Country Club. Nester's coaching career includes a stop at the University of Nebraska-Kearney from 1988-1990, where his men's and women's tennis teams combined for an overall 30-11 record, and he won District Coach of the Year honors twice.
Nester is Level One with the United States Professional Tennis Association and the United States Professional Tennis Registry. He has also completed the High Performance Program through the United State Tennis Association.
He lives with his family in Edgewood, Ky.
College Coaching Record:
2022 Northern Kentucky – Men (12-11)
2022 Northern Kentucky – Women (10-9)
2021 Northern Kentucky – Men (10-5)
2021 Northern Kentucky – Women (7-6)
2020 Northern Kentucky – Men (6-6)
2020 Northern Kentucky – Women (6-3)
2019 Northern Kentucky - Men (5-12)
2019 Northern Kentucky - Women (7-12)
2018 Northern Kentucky - Men (2-13)
2018 Northern Kentucky - Women (7-11)
2017 Northern Kentucky - Men (9-9)
2017 Northern Kentucky - Women (6-12)
2016 Northern Kentucky - Men (9-7)
2016 Northern Kentucky – Women (8-11)
2015 Northern Kentucky - Men (7-14)
2015 Northern Kentucky - Women (6-16)
2014 Northern Kentucky – Men (4-15)
2014 Northern Kentucky – Women (7-16)
2013 Northern Kentucky – Men (7-16)
2013 Northern Kentucky – Women (2-19)
2012 Northern Kentucky – Men (16-7)
2012 Northern Kentucky – Women (10-10)
1989-90 Nebraska Kearney - Men (8-4)
1989-90 Nebraska Kearney – Women (5-4)
1988-89 Nebraska Kearney - Men (8-2)
1988-89 Nebraska Kearney - Women (9-1)
