One of the longest-tenured coaches on campus, Jonathan Sanchez enters his 13th season as head coach for Concordia University Irvine men's and women's tennis in the 2022-23 school year. During his tenure, both the CUI men's and women's teams have each earned more than 115 victories on the court.
A former PacWest Conference Coach of the Year, Sanchez has coached multiple All-Americans at Concordia and helped the Eagles establish themselves among the top teams in the PacWest after the university made the move from NAIA to NCAA DII. Prior to making that transition, his 2015 women’s team won the first GSAC Tournament Championship in school history and Sanchez was voted GSAC Coach of the Year.
Sanchez helped guide the Eagles through the unorthodox 2020 and 2021 seasons with great success. The 2021 editions on both the men's and women's sides both qualified for the NCAA DII West Regional Tournament for the first time in school history. Sanchez was recognized by his peers as the top coach in the league and assistant Lucas Taylor was also honored as ITA West Region DII Assistant Coach of the Year.
The 2020 campaigns were cut short due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but the Eagles men's team soared to new heights. With a number of freshmen playing key roles, CUI earned its highest ITA national ranking (No. 12) and upset No. 7 UC San Diego in what ultimately turned out to be its final match of the year before the nationwide stoppage of NCAA sports. Freshmen Patrick Wong and Marlon Wilken emerged as a dangerous duo and were ranked as high as No. 9 in doubles in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) regional rankings. Wong and sophomore standout Yassine Smiej were both named PacWest Conference Player of the Week as well.
On the women's side, top doubles pairing Ghazal Pakbaten and Rebekah Anderson were each named ITA DII All-Americans after the shortened 2020 season. The duo went 8-1 at the No. 1 doubles spot for CUI and were ranked No. 2 in doubles in the west region. Pakbaten was ranked No. 9 and Anderson at No. 20 in the final ITA last regional rankings in singles as well.
In the second season as a NCAA Division II program, Sanchez led the CUI men's tennis team to a fourth place finish at the 2019 PacWest Conference Tournament. Sanchez also coached three All-PacWest players during that season. Doubles partners Ghazal Pakbaten and Johanna Keeline of the women's tennis team were both First-Team selections by the conference while Pakbaten also was recognized as a First-Team singles player for the second straight year. Plus, Smiej of the men's squad garnered Second Team All-PacWest honors as a true freshman.
Entering their first year of as a full-fledged NCAA Division II program, Sanchez guided the men's team to its highest finish in the PacWest Championships, ending third overall after upsetting No. 3 Point Loma and No. 4 Sonoma State. On the women's side, Ghazal Pakbaten was the PacWest Freshman of the Year and the first Eagle to ever earn First Team All-PacWest.
In 2012, he coached three-time All-American Jordan Kimura and two-time All-American Bettina Radke. Kimura won the National ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award in 2012. Bettina was selected the 2012 GSAC Player of the Year. He coached All-American and ITA Senior Player of the Year Bruno Santarelli in 2012.
He took both CUI squads to the NAIA Championships in five consecutive years, with the men advancing to the second round all five times, and the women going to the quarterfinals in 2011 and 2012. On the men's side, he has coached three NAIA All-Americans and 15 All-Conference selections. For the women, he has tutored three NAIA All-Americans and nine All-Conference selections.
A former standout tennis player at the NCAA Division I level, Sanchez served as team captain in his senior year at Brigham Young University, where he played at the No. 1 position of both singles and doubles in his final collegiate campaign. At BYU, Sanchez both played for and coached with ITA Hall of Famer Brad Pearce, who was ranked as high as No. 71 in the world during his career in the professional circuit.
Sanchez has been coaching and giving private lessons at Fullerton and La Habra Tennis Centers since returning to Southern California, where he graduated from Servite High School in Anaheim in 2004. He spent his summers while a college student coaching at Rosary High School Summer Tennis Camp at the Fullerton Tennis Center, where he began coaching junior players.
Sanchez, a regular attendee at Eastside Christian Church in Fullerton, received the Southern California Sportsmanship Award while a prep at Servite, which won the CIF State Championship in 2004.
Sanchez lives in Fullerton with his family.
