Steubenville, OH

Franciscan is proud to announce Nathan Sims as the new Head Coach of the Men's Tennis program. He is set to be the 5^th coach of the program since its inception in 2009. In addition to his coaching role, he will be serving as an Assistant Women's Tennis Coach. Coach Sims can be reached at NSims@franciscan.edu.

"I am excited to be involved in the development of the Tennis Program here at Franciscan University. I look forward to building a culture of excellence and charity for this season and future seasons" - Head Coach Nathan Sims

Sims succeeds former men's tennis head coach Sandi Gajtka, who stepped down from her position as head men's tennis coach to devote more time to personal and family pursuits.

"I wish to thank Sandi Gajtka for her dedicated service as Head Coach of Men's Tennis over the past several years," said Director of Athletics Danny Andersen. "She leaves the program in excellent shape thanks in no small part to her leadership, dedication, and commitment. As she steps away to devote more time to family and personal pursuits, we wish her 'fair winds and following seas'. 

A thorough search for her successor was then conducted, with Sims taking the position.

"I am excited to welcome Nate Sims as the next Head Men's Tennis coach," said Andersen. "He comes with a wealth of tennis acumen from his collegiate career at Ashland and his coaching various capacities since. He also enthusiastically embraces the mission of forming disciples, developing leaders, and pursuing excellence in forming young people in the Catholic tradition at the K-12 levels."

Coach Sims comes to Franciscan with a rich background in playing and coaching in college athletics. He graduated from Division II school Ashland College where he competed on the tennis team. After graduating from Ashland, Sims served as the Head Golf Coach and Strength & Conditioning Coach while at St. Peter's School in Mansfield, OH for four years from 2022 through 2025. Last year, Sims joined the Franciscan community, running clinics for the women's tennis program last season that led to wide acclaim.

Sims is a 2021 graduate of Ashland College with a degree in Religion, Philosophy, and Political Science. He received his MA in Theology from Franciscan in 2026, and will likely pursue doctoral studies in Theology at Franciscan in the coming years. 

In addition to the new head coach hire, Franciscan has announced that current Assistant Coach Greg Metcalf has been elevated to Associate Head Coach in recognition of his continuing value, contribution, and dedication to the program.

"I am also thrilled to promote Greg Metcalf to Associate Head Coach," said Andersen. "Greg has served as a stalwart member of the coaching staff over the past two years, and we recognize his dedication and contribution to the program with this well-deserved promotion. With Nate and Greg at the helm, I am confident in the future of Franciscan Men's Tennis!"

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