Mike Mitchell has been the head coach of the York tennis program for 10 years and has over 25 years of coaching experience with elite athletes in Woodbridge, Brampton and Mississauga.
In 2011 he received the OUA men’s tennis coach of the year award for the third time, also winning the award in 2007 and 2009. Since coming to York, he has turned the Lions into perennial contenders at the OUA championships and the men’s and women’s teams combined have recorded more than 15 top-three finishes at the provincial meet. The women and men have both won titles during his tenure, the women in 2003 and the men in 2005, 2007 and 2009.
Mitchell, a certified Level 3 tennis coach who also has certification as a badminton coach, has overseen the development of several talented York players. Former top player Ash Misquith turned professional after finishing at York and Mikhail Lew has also competed at events around the world. On the women’s side, Joelle Fisher was named an OUA all-star in all five years she competed for York, the first to accomplish that feat.
He was also the head coach for the Canadian tennis team at the 25th FISU Summer Universiade in Belgrade, Serbia, in 2009.
Mitchell was an accomplished tennis player at West Texas State University in Canyon, Texas, earning NCAA all-American and all-conference player awards, and is a former Canadian men’s over-35 doubles champion. He graduated from West Texas with a bachelor of business administration degree.
In addition to his duties as head coach of the interuniversity tennis program, Mitchell co-ordinates the Sport & Recreation racquets program and teaches tennis practicum courses in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science.
