MALIBU, Calif. — Pepperdine men's tennis head coach Adam Schaechterle has been promoted to the Pepperdine Director of Tennis and Head Men's Tennis Coach, Director of Athletics Tanner Gardner announced Wednesday.
 
As the Director of Tennis, Schaechterle will have oversight over and help guide both Pepperdine's tennis programs while continuing to serve as the head coach of the men's tennis team. He will work closely alongside head women's tennis coach Tassilo Schmid on program development as college athletics enters a new era.
 
"We are proud to elevate Adam Schaechterle to this position after faithfully serving Pepperdine men's tennis for the last seven years," Director of Athletics Tanner Gardner said. "With additional oversight over both programs, he will continue to elevate the Pepperdine tennis programs to new heights as they seek to compete for national championships."
 
In seven seasons, Schaechterle has a 106-60 head coaching record at Pepperdine, which includes five wins over top-10 teams. His teams have an impressive 43-7 record in West Coast Conference play.
 
Pepperdine men's tennis has consistently been a top-25 program during his eight-year tenure in Malibu. The Waves have won four West Coast Conference titles, advanced in the NCAA Tournament four times and finished in the top-30 of the year-end Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings five times. Under his direction, five Waves earned All-American honors, including two doubles pairings that made the NCAA semifinals.
 
Schaechterle has brought two top-5 freshman classes to Malibu, including the 2024 class that was ranked second in the nation. In the last three seasons, he recruited five nationally ranked newcomers to Malibu, including four-time Australian Open qualifier Edward Winter, who earned ITA Southwest Regional Rookie of the Year and WCC Freshman of the Year honors in 2024.
 
"What an honor to support our incredible female and male student-athletes, and to work alongside five other world-class coaches," Director of Tennis Adam Schaechterle said. "I'm grateful for the trust I'm given every day from our athletic director and our entire University leadership. Now it's time to work hard to serve both programs and help us compete at the highest level in our sport. Go Waves."
 
In fall 2024, Schaechterle served as the interim head coach of the women's team, helping to lead the squad through the fall while a coaching change was underway. During the winter of 2024-25, he began serving as the interim director of tennis, overseeing the transition between two head coaches.
 
Schaechterle was instrumental in developing longtime assistant Tassilo Schmid to be prepared for the head women's coaching position. In Schmid's first season as the interim head coach, the program won the WCC Championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with five freshmen in the lineup. Schmid was officially promoted to the head women's tennis coaching position in July 2025.
 
The men's tennis program is coming off a 17-11 season, which included two top-10 upset wins and a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Eight players from that team are returning to Malibu for the 2025-26 season.
 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE MEN'S TENNIS
Pepperdine men's tennis has a longstanding tradition of success, highlighted by an NCAA Championship in 2006 which came 54 years after its first NAIA Championship in 1952. Robbie Weiss recorded the program's first NCAA singles championship in 1988 after the program saw doubles national championships in 1984 and 1985. 44-time WCC Champions, Pepperdine has reached 40 NCAA Tournaments and six NCAA Regionals in its history with 53 total All-Americans.
 
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