Auburn Montgomery head coach Rolando Vargas was hired as the men’s and women’s tennis coach in the summer of 2010. During his tenure, he has led the women’s team to four NAIA National Championships and the men to three semifinal appearances and a national runner-up showing.
Recently finishing his seventh season as head coach, Vargas has continued the tennis programs’ outstanding history of success. While at the helm of the tennis programs, Vargas has helped the men's team to a 140-37 record and the women's squad to an impressive 150-35 mark.
During the 2017 season, Vargas led both programs to national and regional rankings while playing its first full NCAA Division II schedule.
Playing in the extremely competitive South Region, the women’s team finished the year with a 17-4 record and finished the regular season ranked No. 19 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Division II poll. The Warhawks were also tabbed fifth in the South Region. Vargas helped the men to an impressive 13-6 record and a No. 13 ranking by the ITA. The men were ranked seventh in the South Region.
In its final season competing at the NAIA level, Vargas led the men to a 19-5 mark, the program’s 12th Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and a quarterfinal appearance in the national tournament in 2016. He also guided the women’s squad to a 21-4 record and an appearance in the semifinals of the national tournament. The Warhawks also won their 11th SSAC Tournament title.
Individually, all six student-athletes for the women’s team earned NAIA All-American honors, including first-team accolades for Paula Diaz, Kelly Southwood and Iris Verweij. The men’s team had five players earn All-America status, with Francisco Mendieta and Vincent Dubosclard earning first-team honors. Vargas was named the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) College Coach of the Year.
In 2015, Vargas led the women’s program to its 14th NAIA National Championship on a 23-4 overall record. Men’s tennis finished up No. 4 in the NAIA’s final poll of the season after posting a 19-4 record and reaching the NAIA National Championship.
Prior to the national tournament, he helped guide both men’s and women’s tennis to SSAC Championship wins. It marked the 11th consecutive conference title for the men’s program and the women’s ninth straight (10th overall).
A total of nine players were named as NAIA All-American honors with Nicolas Pinones-Haltenhoff and Dubosclard earning First-Team selections for the men’s team. Alice Baudeigne and Diaz each earned First-Team honors for the women’s squad. Earning Second-Team honors was Miguel Grifol and Othmane Lalami. Mendieta, Celine Lenertz and Southwood were named as Honorable Mention selections. For the second consecutive year, Pinones-Haltenhoff was selected as Capital One Academic All-America of the Year.
In 2014, Vargas led both programs back to the NAIA National Tournament. In spite of not appearing in the national championship, the men’s and women’s programs maintained top five rankings in the final season polls. The women’s team finished 19-8 and fifth overall after dropping its quarterfinal round match, 5-3, to eventually national runner-up Embry-Riddle (Fla.) The men’s program was ranked third in the final polls with a 24-4 record as they fell to eventual national champion, Georgia Gwinnett, in a semifinal round match-up.
Prior their national tournament run, Vargas helped the Warhawks repeat as Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) tournament champions. For the men’s team theirs 10th straight title, as the women earned their eighth.
Individually, a total of eight student-athletes received All-American accolades with Pinones-Haltenhoff and Zinelabidine Jouini representing the men’s team with first-team honors. Jade Curtis represented the women’s team with her fourth consecutive first-team selection. Earning second team honors from the men was Dubosclard with Chanel Cunningham and Paula Diaz from the women’s side. Lalami and Grifol each garnered Honorable Mention status. In addition, Lalami was named the South Region recipient for the ITA’s Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award.
Academically, Curtis and Cunningham were each named NAIA Scholar-Athletes from the women’s team, while Pinones-Haltenhoff, Jouini and Lalami represented AUM’s men’s team.
In 2013, Vargas led the women’s program to its third consecutive NAIA National Championship and ninth in 10 years. The Warhawks finished the season with a 17-8 record, including wins in their final seven matches. Of those seven matches, four came against teams ranked in the top six of the NAIA polls.
From that team, three student-athletes earned All-America honors, with Curtis and Tiffany William collecting first-team accolades. Senior Morgane Zowczak was a second-team selection. In addition, Curtis earned the prestigious Marvin P. Richmond Outstanding Player of the national tournament for the second time in her career and NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors. She was also selected the SSAC’s Female Athlete of the Year after finishing undefeated for a second straight season, while Vargas was chosen the conference’s Women’s Coach of the Year.
Vargas also enjoyed another stellar season at the helm of the men’s program, helping the team to the national title match and a 21-4 record. The Warhawks fell in an epic NAIA Championship match to Embry-Riddle (Fla.), 5-4, dropping the deciding point in a third-set tiebreak.
Five Warhawks collected postseason honors from the NAIA, including First-Team All-Americans Pinones-Haltenhoff and Tim Hewitt. For the second consecutive season, Bence Toth garnered second-team honors, while Grifol was named an honorable mention. Additionally, Pinones-Haltenhoff was chosen the SSAC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
In his second season at the helm, Vargas led the women’s team to a 26-2 record overall. No. 1 seeded player Ana Veselinovic was named the Marvin P. Richmond Outstanding Player of the national tournament. She finished the year 23-2. Two Warhawks, Curtis and Kveta Hajkova, recorded perfect records in singles play, going a combined 48-0. The No. 1 doubles team of Veselinovic and Curtis also finished undefeated, going 25-0 on the year.
Five members of the women’s team received NAIA All-American honors. Three of those five (Veselinovic, Curtis and William) were first-team selections. The team had two NAIA Women’s Player of the Week winners, while four were SSAC Players of the Week. In addition, Veselinovic was recognized as an NAIA Scholar Athlete and named to the Capital One Academic All-District First-Team.
Vargas also guided the men’s team to a highly successful year in 2012, finishing the season ranked fifth nationally after compiling a 17-8 record. The Warhawks won their eighth consecutive SSAC Championship before falling in the NAIA Quarterfinals. Two players were selected as NAIA All-Americans, including No. 1 seeded Pinones-Haltenhoff, who earned first-team honors after finishing with a 20-4 record. No. 2 player Toth earned a spot on the second-team, while two other Warhawks received honorable mention by the NAIA.
Both teams were also national powerhouses in Vargas’ debut coaching season at AUM. The women won their 11th National Championship, finishing with a 27-5 record. Curtis was named the Marvin P. Richmond Outstanding Player of the tournament in her freshman season. The men made it to the NAIA Semifinals, finishing 25-4. They also received the 2010-11 Buffalo Funds Champions of Character Team Award. The two teams had 10 NAIA All-Americans combined.
Vargas attended college at Troy University, where he played No. 1 singles and doubles for the Trojans’ tennis team. As a doubles player, he defeated the No. 8 team in the nation from the University of Alabama. He made the 2003 All-Academic team during his senior season, and was a student assistant in 2004 when the Trojans were champions of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Vargas received a bachelor’s degree in international business and a master’s in sport management.
After leaving Troy, Vargas played professionally for three years, with a ranking as high as 839 ATP. Prior to arriving at AUM, he was an assistant coach at his alma mater from 2007-09. He is a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) certified coach, earning the status of Elite Certified Professional, the highest available level.
Born in Querétaro, Mexico, Vargas resides in Troy, Ala., with his wife, Tiffany and two children, Amaia and Ander.
