Jay Brennan joined the Chestnut Hill College men’s and women’s tennis programs as an assistant to Head Coach Alan Garabedian prior to the 2019-2020 seasons. As the former Head Coach of the men’s and women’s tennis programs at Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) rival, the University of the Sciences (USciences), Coach Brennan possess a wealth of knowledge about competition across the league and at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II level.
After a 12-year tenure as a tennis and basketball coach at the middle school and high school levels, Coach Brennan took over the USciences women’s tennis program in 2012 and simultaneously served as an assistant to the Devils Head Men’s Tennis Coach, Julian Snow. He assumed control of the Devil men’s tennis program prior to the 2014-2015 season, making him responsible for the recruitment, skill development, and finances of the all of USciences’ tennis offerings. Under his tutelage, a dozen (12) USciences student-athletes earned an All-CACC recognition, including 2013 CACC Men’s Tennis Rookie of the Year Jake Sosonkin and 2016, 2017 CACC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year Karla Miletic. Miletic also served as the CACC’s Women’s Tennis Rookie of the Year in 2016, when she broke the program’s single-season win record with a 21-2 finish.
Under Coach Brennan, USciences’ women rewrote the program record books, reached double-digit wins in both 2016-2017 (15-7, 4-3 CACC) and 2017-2018 (11-8, 5-3 CACC) seasons, and appeared in three consecutive CACC Semifinals from 2016-2017 to 2018-2019 (8-8, 5-3 CACC). Meanwhile, the men’s program consistently improved, ultimately earning nine wins (9-14, 3-3 CACC) and a CACC Men’s Tennis Championship Tournament appearance (#4 seed) in 2015-2016, and double-digit wins (11-11, 3-2 CACC) and another postseason appearances (#3 seed) a year later (2016-2017).
Coach Brennan picked up the game of tennis at age 11 and began playing competitively when he was 13. He played United States Tennis Association (USTA) district and sectional tournaments as a teenager and men‘s open tournaments as an adult. He has served as Philadelphia Suburban Junior Interclub League Director since 2014 and was an instructor at the Penn Tennis Camps during the summer of 2018. Additionally, Coach Brennan has held previous positions with the Rose Valley Swim and Tennis Club (Tennis Director/Head Pro; May 2012 – November 2017), Ridley High School (Head Boys’ Varsity Coach; 2011-2012), and Woodlynde School (Head Boy’s Junior Varsity Basketball Coach and Head Boys’ Middle School Tennis Coach; 2009-2011). Coach Brennan is currently a member of the pro staff at the Upper Main Line Young Men’s Christian Association (UMLYMCA), a position he has held since December of 2018.
Coach Brennan received his associate's degree in journalism/communications from Delaware County Community College in 2004 and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) in 2019. He is a certified through the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), and the United States Racquet Stringers Association (USRSA), as well as, completed 1,850 hours of service with AmeriCorps. He currently resides in Ardmore with his wife, Erin, and still enjoys competing in adult tennis tournaments and leagues.
