Tom Lloyd begins his eighth year as LMU men's tennis head coach in 2020-21. Prior to coming to LMU, Lloyd had spent the previous seven years working as an assistant coach with the University of Arizona men's tennis program.
Lloyd navigated the Lions through the Spring of 2020 going 2-1 in conference matches, and defeating Utah State in the final match before the season came to an abrupt end due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lloyd, named 2018 Wilson/ITA Southwest Coach of the Year, most recently guided LMU to one of the best seasons in program history, as the Lions finished 2017-18 with a 19-6 overall record and a 7-2 mark in the WCC to earn a share of second place in the WCC standings. LMU's 19 wins were the most since setting a program-record with 20 in 2002. Playing as the third seed in the WCC Championship Tournament, LMU advanced to its first WCC Championship Match, eventually dropping the decision to top-seed San Diego.
In addition to Lloyd's selection as Coach of the Year, LMU also featured the ITA Southwest Most Improved Senior in Charles Boyce. The Lions closed the 2018 campaign ranked #55 in the ITA rankings and #6 in the Southwest Region. The #55 mark was the best end-of-year mark in program history, while LMU garnered a #36 ranking on March 6, 2018 during the season to set a new benchmark.
In his inaugural year at LMU, Lloyd guided the Lions to a 14-10 overall mark, including a 9-4 record at home at the LMU Tennis Center. The 14 wins, which were the most since 2006 for LMU, more than tripled the win total from the year prior (4). The Lions went 4-5 in West Coast Conference action, placing tied for fifth. Lloyd also saw the Lions win nine of 10 matches from 3/13 - 4/5, with the only loss coming to #5 UCLA.
The Lions went 13-11 in 2014-15, including 3-6 in the WCC, during Lloyd's second year as head coach. Taking advantage of the home court, the Lions finished 10-3 at the LMU Tennis Center. LMU had a trio of players honored by the WCC at the end of the campaign, with Errol Smith highlighting the group by earning WCC Freshman of the Year. The Freshman of the Year selection was the second for LMU, as Nico Terrien earned the honor in 2004. Charles Boyce was named second team All-WCC singles, while Smith took home honorable mention honors in singles. LMU's doubles pair of Boyce and Cristobal Rivera also earned an honorable mention selection.
Lloyd's 2015-16 Lions finished the year with a 12-10 overall record, including a 5-4 mark in the WCC. The year included a victory over Lloyd's alma mater in Arizona and the first-ever win over UC Santa Barbara, which was ranked #51 in the nation. That victory catapulted the Lions into the national rankings for just the third time in program history, checking in at #68. The Lions would climb as high as #58 in the rankings in April of 2016, marking the highest ranking in program history. Three Lions earned spots on the All-WCC teams at the end of the season, as Cristobal Rivera and Errol Smith found spots on the second team, while Rivera and Charles Boyce were lauded with second-team doubles honors. Rivera would later garner ITA Southwest Region Most Improved Player of the Year.
Lloyd and the Lions went 7-15 overall, including 3-6 in the WCC, over the course of the 2016-17 season. The Lions again posted a victory over Arizona while also registering a victory over BYU in WCC play. Following conclusion of play, both Gabriel Diaz-Freire and Nick Borchenko were honored with All-WCC selections. Diaz-Freire, who went 13-6 overall, earned a spot on the second team, while Borchenko took home honorable mention accolades. The two also earned an All-WCC doubles selection after going 7-2 overall and 6-1 in the WCC. Luke Bohuslav also made history to close the 2016-17 season, becoming the first three-time WCC All-Academic selection in LMU men's tennis history.
Working in one of the best men's tennis conferences in the nation, Lloyd helped the 2010 Arizona squad to a season-high ITA ranking of #17 and the program's first-ever victory over UCLA. That team finished just one win shy of hosting the NCAA Regional, and capped back-to-back NCAA tournament bids in 2009 and 2010. Pushing his athletes both on the court and in the classroom, Lloyd saw his Wildcats post the highest team GPA in three consecutive years stretching from 2007 to 2009 while garnering numerous Academic All-Conference selections.
Prior to Arizona, Lloyd spent two years working as an ATP Tour professional coach for Taylor Dent. Under that title, Lloyd traveled around the world with Dent to tournaments such as the US Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open and Montreal Open, eventually helping Dent to reach a #21 ranking in the world.
Lloyd has also worked as a National Coach with the USTA at the newly-named StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., instructing and coaching top USTA juniors from the ages of 10 to 18 and working directly with Lead National Coach, David Roditi, and Director of Coaching, Jose Higueras.
A standout at Arizona from 2000-2004, Lloyd served as team captain in three of his four seasons as a Wildcat en route to recording 52 singles victories and 33 doubles wins during his career. His best year came as a senior in 2004, when he tallied a 17-12 record in singles competition and an 8-4 mark in doubles play. In 2002, paired with teammate Colin O'Grady, he won the Pac-10 Men's Doubles Invitational Tournament.
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A native of Yorba Linda, Calif., Lloyd was a three-time all-league performer at Esperanza High School, and was named to the all-county team as a freshman.