On Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017, Auburn Montgomery announced Yair Banuelos as the new head coach of the men's and women's tennis programs. Banuelos is set to begin his seventh season leading the Warhawk tennis program in 2024.
Banuelos comes to the Warhawks from Western New Mexico University, where he guided both the men's and women's programs to national prominence, as well as established the Mustangs as a power in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
"I would like to thank Director of Athletics Rosa for this incredible opportunity," said Banuelos. "Since the moment I stepped on campus, I knew that AUM is where I wanted to be. The philosophy of the athletic department and the direction they are heading is special and I am humbled to be a part of the Warhawk family."
In 2023, Banuelos put together an impressive campaign with the men and women. The men owned a 16-9 overall record and went 7-2 in GSC action. The resume was good enough to earn the program's first bid in the NCAA South Region as the No. 6 seed. The Warhawks made an impressive run in the GSC Tournament and made it to the championship match. On the women's side, Banuelos led the women to an 18-6 overall record and 9-1 in GSC play. They earned their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA South Region as the No. 6 seed. Banuelos eclipsed 200 career wins on March 26 and his 100th AUM victory came on Feb. 3.
On the women's side in 2022, the Warhawks had the most success in program history during the NCAA-era. The Warhawks finished the 2022 campaign with a 17-8 record and finished second in the regular season GSC standings. The Warhawks progressed through the GSC tournament and reached the GSC championship match. Their historic run through the GSC netted their first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament. Estefania Garcia and Sofia Navarro were recognized by the ITA after the 2022 season for regional awards. Garcia took home ITA South Region Rookie of The Year honors while Navarro captured the south region's Most Improved Player.
In 2022, Banuelos led the men's team to a 10-12 record overall and a 5-4 mark in conference play. The Warhawks were dominant at home in 2022, going 6-1 at the AUM Tennis Complex. In the fall 2021 season, Muhamad Bedwan and David Rieme advanced to the Fall ITA Championships as a duo and reached a national ranking of No. 3 in the nation. During the 2022 campaign, the Warhawks climbed the national polls to as high as No. 14 in the country, marking the highest national ranking for the men's program during Banuelos' tenure at AUM.
Banuelos aided the Warhawks to a historic 2021 season in both men’s and women’s competitions. The men’s team finished their 2021 campaign ranked 16th in the country by the ITA after a 12-7 season. AUM had a seven-game winning streak through the middle part of the schedule that included wins over the #25 and #20 teams in the country. The Warhawks qualified for their first-ever Gulf South Conference postseason and captured their first win, defeating West Alabama 4-3. Banuelos also captured his first Gulf South Conference Freshman of The Year and back-to-back ITA South Region Rookie of The Year awards after David Rieme posted a 12-5 season.
The women’s team, meanwhile, posted historic success as well. After a 10-7 season, the Warhawks qualified as the Gulf South Conference’s fourth seed in the postseason tournament and won their first match 4-2 over Valdosta State. Aside from the postseason victory, the Warhawks’ season was highlighted by an upset victory over #7 Southwest Baptist. After ranking inside the top-25 for the majority of the season, AUM ended 2021 ranked 27th in the ITA polls.
The women's team posted a record of 5-4, while the men finished 4-4 in a 2020 season shortened by COVID-19. The Warhawks won three of five combined GSC matches, with the women going 2-1 against conference foes. Both squads closed out the abbreviated season with a 7-0 road win at Spring Hill College on March 8. On the men's side, Muhamad Bedwan was named ITA Rookie of The Year in the South Region after his stellar performance in 2020. Prior to the beginning of the 2020 spring campaign, the double's duo of Alba De la Torre and Julia Enderink came in at no. 20 nationally in the final ITA 2019 Fall D-II Double's Rankings.
In 2019, Coach Banuelos led the women's team to a record of 9-12 and the men to a mark of 13-6. The women's squad posted the fourth-best Gulf South Conference record at 7-4, while the men's team finished third in the regular-season conference standings at 8-2. The men's team ranked at no. 28 nationally in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association D-II rankings, with Alvaro Terron ranking 28th nationally in singles and Eban Straker-Meads ranking 36th. Both the men's and women's tennis programs were named All-Academic Teams by the ITA, while Alba De la Torre, Julia Enderink, Svenja Petri, Tonja Foessmeier, Eban Straker-Meads, Marcus Lind and Santiago Veglia were named ITA Scholar Athletes.
Banuelos picked up his first wins as the men's and women's head coach on Feb. 3 at home against Christian Brothers University, with a 7-2 men's win and a 9-0 women's victory. The men's team went on to finish 9-8 in 2018, and the women 8-10.
During his tenure at WNM, Banuelos led the Mustangs men's squad to three RMAC championships and three RMAC tournament championships, earning a spot as a finalist in the South Central Region in 2014 and 2015. He was named the RMAC Men's Coach of the Year in 2016 and the Wilson/ITA Men's South Central Region Coach of the Year in 2017.
In his final season at the helm of WNM the team of Tristan Da Lio and Vladimir Gnilozubov earned All-America honors in doubles play. He also led the Mustangs to their highest ITA ranking (No. 22) in the history of the program in 2016.
On the women's side he led WNM to two RMAC tournament titles, a regular-season championship in 2015, and second-place league finishes in 2014 and 2016. The Mustangs were runner-up in the RMAC Tournament in 2014 and 2016 and reached the South Central Region Finals in 2015.
For his efforts Banuelos was named the RMAC Women's Coach of the Year in 2015.
In each of his four seasons leading both the men's and women's tennis programs each squad earned ITA All-Academic honors for having a team grade point average of 3.2 or higher.
Banuelos spent two years as a graduate assistant with the Mustangs tennis programs before taking over the head coaching title in 2014.
"Yair (Banuelos) proved himself at Western New Mexico as a coach who could build a program to national notoriety," stated Rosa. "With AUM's history of national success in tennis, I look forward to continuing our prominence in the transition to the NCAA and active Division II membership."
A native of Mexico City, Mexico, Banuelos was a star on the court for the Mustangs prior to his coaching career. As a junior he was named the RMAC Player of the Year in 2010, earning All-RMAC first team honors in singles and doubles.
During his final year Banuelos was named the Senior Player of the Year in the South Central Region, the RMAC Honor Student-Athlete of the Year, and earned singles and doubles All-RMAC first-team honors for the second year in a row. During his senior year Banuelos went 6-0 in both singles and doubles during the conference season, while also being named to the RMAC All-Academic First Team for his work in the classroom. In 2014, Rodrigo Almeida was named teh ITA Player to Watch in the South Central Region.
Banuelos earned his bachelor's degree from Western New Mexico in 2011, before earning his master's from WNM in 2013. He replaces former AUM head coach Rolando Vargas who left this summer to take the head men's tennis coach position at NCAA Division I Radford.
"Coach Vargas did an amazing job making both tennis programs very successful," added Banuelos. "I look forward to continuing this tradition and competing at the highest national level."
