Marcos Salazar was chosen to head the Montreat College men’s and women’s tennis teams in January of 2024. He enters his second season with the Cavaliers during the 2025-26 academic year.
YEAR-BY-YEAR HIGHLIGHTS
2025 (Men's Tennis)
- Players picked up six wins during the ITA NAIA South Regional Championships (Sept. 19-22).
- Secured his first win as head coach versus Johnson (W 5-2 on 2/26).
- Swept Truett McConnell in a road AAC match (W 7-0 on 3/22).
- Went 4-13 (4-4 AAC) on the year, finishing fifth in the conference standings to claim the No. 5 seed in the AAC Tournament.
- Athlete achievements: 1 Second Team All-AAC, 1 AAC All-Freshman Team, 1 Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete, 3 AAC All-Academic Team members.
2025 (Women's Tennis)
- Four different Cavaliers picked up at least one win at the ITA NAIA South Regional Championships (Sept. 19-22).
- Captured his first win as head coach versus Johnson (W 5-2 on 2/26).
- Coached Chiharu Ito to as high as No. 37 in the ITA NAIA Women's Singles Rankings.
- Went 4-13 (4-5 AAC) on the year, finishing fifth in the conference standings to claim the No. 5 seed in the AAC Tournament.
- Athlete achievements: 1 NAIA Third Team All-American, 1 First Team All-AAC, 1 AAC All-Freshman Team, 1 AAC Player of the Week, 1 CSC Academic All-District® Team honoree, 1 Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete, 2 AAC All-Academic Team members.
PRIOR TO MONTREAT
Salazar came to Montreat following time as a graduate assistant at St. Thomas University. With the Arequipa, Peru native on staff last season, both the Bobcat men and women made the NAIA National Tournament. The women advanced to the national quarterfinal and the men advanced to the second round for the first time in program history.
Prior to his time at STU, Salazar played collegiate tennis at the University of Northwest Ohio from the 2017-18 school year through the 2021-22 season. As a team, the Racers held an 83-35 overall record and a perfect 25-0 conference campaign during the 5-year span, while moving on to the national tournament every one of the four seasons not disrupted by COVID-19. In 2021 and 2022, UNOH ended Montreat’s season in the national tournament.
Individually, Salazar ended his career as the all-time winningest player in school history with 177 victories. He was a 2-time honorable mention All-American and a 4-time First Team All-Conference athlete, reaching as high as No. 4 in doubles rankings and as high as No. 14 in singles ratings.
While attending UNOH, Salazar worked at The Dunes Club as a racquets director assistant for three summers. Before then, he was involved with the high performance and development program at Westwood Tennis and Fitness. From 2018 to 2022, Salazar trained middle school tennis athletes in the program who went on to qualify for state tournaments.
COACHING RECORD
Men's Tennis
| Year |
School |
Overall Record |
Conference Record |
|
|
W |
L |
Pct. |
W |
L |
Pct. |
| 2025 |
Montreat |
4 |
13 |
0.235 |
4 |
4 |
0.500 |
| 1 season |
|
4 |
13 |
0.235 |
4 |
4 |
0.500 |
Women's Tennis
| Year |
School |
Overall Record |
Conference Record |
|
|
W |
L |
Pct. |
W |
L |
Pct. |
| 2025 |
Montreat |
4 |
13 |
0.235 |
4 |
5 |
0.444 |
| 1 season |
|
4 |
13 |
0.235 |
4 |
5 |
0.444 |
