Hans Neufeld
Co-Director
After becoming Head Coach of the Men's Tennis team in 2002, Hans Neufeld has positioned the Flames within the upper echelon of Horizon League programs. During Neufeld's tenure, UIC has been molded into a consistent challenger for the Horizon League crown. The Flames made the league championship finals six years in a row while featuring 26 All-Horizon League players, a league Player of the Year (Ivan Kovalev, 2005) as well as three Newcomers of the Year, most recently awarded to Alexander Raa in 2011. In the 2020-21 season, Pelle Strandberg was named to the All-League Second Team, the latest Flame to be named to an All-League honor under Neufeld's direction.
When Neufeld guided the Flames to the Horizon League championship match in 2019, it marked the seventh time in his tenure that the Flames competed for the conference title. He mentored three All-Horizon League players that year, tying with 2009 for the second-most in a season in program history, and just one behind the four conference honorees that Neufeld produced in 2008.
The 2008 campaign was a banner year for the Flames under Neufeld. The season came to a close at the Horizon League tournament finals to Cleveland State, after UIC defeated perennial rival Butler 4-0 in the semifinals. The squad compiled a 15-10 record, the most match wins during Neufeld's seven year tenure and the most for any UIC team since the 1983 season. 2008 saw Bastian Harbo break the school record of most singles wins in a season, reaching 21 victories his sophomore year. In 2009, Nate Kirk tied the record with 21 victories in his freshman year. The 2010 season also saw the conclusion of the standout career of Sebastian Lystad, UIC's all-time career leader in doubles (66) and singles (74). It was another solid year for the squad. Led by strong upperclassmen performances, the Flames went 15-11 for the season, capping the campaign with a sixth consecutive trip to the Horizon League final match.
Neufeld is the only coach in the team's history to have guided the Flames to seven runner-up finishes in league play. Neufeld was named Horizon League Co-Coach of the Year in 2003 after guiding the resurgent Flames to an 11-10 record, the first time a UIC squad had finished with a mark above .500 since 1996. Besides his team's on-court success, Neufeld has continued the program's tradition of great academic success. His players are continually ranked at the top in the athletic department, the University and the league, and many of his former players have gone on to complete graduate work and medical school and some of the finest institutions in the nation. Making Neufeld's accomplishments even more incredible is the fact that UIC is his first collegiate head coaching venture.
Prior to heading the Flames, Neufeld served as a volunteer assistant coach at both Northern Illinois and Southern Methodist under his brother, Carl. Before arriving at UIC, Neufeld worked at the Hinsdale Golf Club as the Head Tennis and Platform Tennis Professional. Prior to that he served as the tennis director at the Woodfield Athletic Club in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Neufeld graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1983. Neufeld was a tennis standout for the Huskies and was honored as an all-conference selection in 1980. Neufeld resides with his children Katrina and Nathan, in McHenry, Illinois.