Photo Courtesy of Quinnipiac Athletics

By Jordan Siegler

Quinnipiac men’s and women’s tennis coach Mike Quitko has announced his retirement Thursday morning, ending a 23-year coaching career. A Quinnipiac Hall of Famer, Quitko won a total of 526 matches as well as 18 conference championships.

“In 23 years I’ve accomplished so much at Quinnipiac. But now it’s time for me to take a step back and spend more time with my family. I’ll still be teaching tennis and be around the sport of tennis, just at a different level. I’ll miss the student-athletes, coaches, administrators, the matches, competitive nature of the game, and the rivalries, but it’s a perfect time for me to retire having accomplished so much with these two programs,” said Quitko.

Quitko also received many other accolades and achievements during his long career including 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and 15 Conference Coach of the Year awards. But in Quitko’s mind, his greatest achievement is the impact he’s had on his players.

“The success that my former student-athletes have had upon graduating from Quinnipiac is my greatest achievement,” said Quitko. “Being a part of this tennis program is more than just a team, it’s a family. I’m still in contact with many of my former players, and the relationships I have built are incredible. I’m deeply touched that I know that I have impacted the lives of so many individuals.”

One of those individuals is senior Eric Ambrosio. Ambrosio has played under Quitko for three years at Quinnipiac. On his coach’s retirement, Ambrosio said, “There’s really so much to say. He is a legend and the impact he’s had on our program is incredible. It’s very sad to see him go, but he’s left a positive long-lasting mark on myself and the program. I’ll always be grateful to have been coached under him.”

Ambrosio went on to say that Quitko’s “best quality is that he’s always about being a team player. He’s always been proud of us being a loud, cooperative team that always picks each other up. And he has helped me, and I’m sure countless others, realize what it really means to be a team player.”

Senior Arianna Launie also spoke about Quitko, saying “He has had an amazing career at Quinnipiac and it is very sad to see him go and he will be greatly missed!” She goes on to say “He always put his players first and was the most caring coach I have ever had.”

Most recently, Quitko coached the men’s and women’s tennis teams through their first year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference this past season. The women’s team was a standout during this time going undefeated in conference play on their way to conference championship over Faifield. Quitko was named 2014 MAAC Coach of the Year for his efforts.

But what Quitko will miss most about coaching is not the accolades, its the competition. “The thing that I’ll miss most is the competition. There’s nothing like having adrenalin pumping in a match that goes down to the wire. That’s what I’ll miss the most,” said Quitko.

Taking over the coaching duties for Quitko will be Paula Miller and Chris Pappas. Miller, who has served as associate head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis team, will serve as interim director of tennis and women’s tennis head coach while Pappas will be interim men’s tennis head coach.

This article has been updated from its original form.

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