Patrick Grashorn is in his 11th season as the head coach for the men's and women’s tennis programs.
In 2019-20, the tennis teams each had their spring seasons cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The women's team completed their GLIAC fall season and overall were 3-17 and 1-8 in the conference. Willemien Coetzee was named Second Team All-GLIAC in her freshman campaign and senior Adeline Nelson was named Honorable Mention All-GLIAC. The men's team had an 8-5 record before the season ended in March. They were not able to compete in any GLIAC matches.
The men's program got off to a solid start in their first year in NCAA Division II and GLIAC action. The Panthers were 14-10 during the 2017-18 season and posted a 5-3 record in the GLIAC. They were 6-1 in home matches and started off the GLIAC with three straight wins over Wayne State, Tiffin and Purdue Northwest. They also won their first match of the GLIAC Tournament as the fifth-seed over fourth-seeded Grand Valley State. During the 2018-19 campaign, the men's team went 11-10 overall and missed out on the GLIAC Tournament with a 3-5 conference mark.
The women's program quickly became one of the top in the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) as they have claimed four straight regular season conference championships, the 2012 and 2015 tournament championships and the 2013 and 2014 Unaffiliated Regional Tournament. DU also had three NAIA National Tournament appearances in which they posted their first ever win in 2014 by defeating Lewis-Clark State College. They also won their opening round match in the 2015 national tournament over Reinhardt.
Alyssa Fuentes was named an All-American in 2015-16 and was also named the DU Senior Female Athlete of the Year. Grashorn was named the WHAC Coach of the Year after the Panthers dominated the conference en route to a overall record of 25-6, setting a school record for victories. The team finished No. 11 in the final NAIA coaches poll of the season.
Following the 2011-12 and 2013-14 campaigns, Grashorn earned the ITA East Region Women's Coach of the Year accolade and was named the ITA/Wilson National Coach of the Year in 2013-14.
In 2012-13, Patrick helped the men's team to their best season in school history and was tabbed as the ITA East Region's Men's Coach of the Year and then guided DU to another record-breaking performance in 2013-14 that saw them finish with a program best 19 wins. The Panthers finished the season ranked No. 17 in the final NAIA coaches poll in 2013-14.
In his first season, Grashorn led the women's team to a 2nd place finish in the WHAC Championship and their first appearance in the Regional Tournament.
Prior to Davenport, Grashorn had worked at MVP Sportsplex as a tennis professional and had also served on the coaching staff at East Grand Rapids, Rockford and Forest Hills Eastern high schools.
Grashorn came to Davenport after a stellar playing career at Aquinas College where he was the Saints’ captain in 2006 and 2007. Patrick graduated from Aquinas in 2007 with a degree in biology and from Grand Valley State in 2014 with a degree in biomedical engineering and currently lives in Grand Rapids with his wife Nikki and two kids - Landon and Harrison.
