Troy University Athletics
Tennis (M)
Vargas, Rolando
Rolando Vargas
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- rvargas@troy.edu
- Phone:
- 3649
The Vargas File
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Birthday | June 13 |
| Hometown | Querétaro, Mexico |
| Education | Troy, 2004 (Bachelor's) Troy, 2009 (Master's) |
| Playing Career | Troy, 2001-03 Tour Professional, 2004-07 |
| Wife | Tiffany |
| Children | Amaia, Ander |
| Coaching History | |
|---|---|
| 2018-pres. | Troy - Head Coach |
| 2017-18 | Radford - Head Coach |
| 2010-17 | Auburn-Montgomery - Head Coach (Men's & Women's) |
| 2007-09 | Troy - Assistant Coach |
After leading Troy the Sun Belt semifinals in four of the last five seasons, Rolando Vargas returns to Troy for his eighth season in 2025-26 leading his alma mater after winning four national championships at the NAIA level. Vargas took over the Troy program after leading AUM to four national titles and 12 straight conference championships (men's and women's).
Over the past four seasons, Troy has combined to win 93 matches, play to an overall .721 winning percentage and reach as high as No. 60 in the national rankings and final No. 8 ranking in the ITA Southern Region following the 2021 season.
The 2024-25 season saw Rolando lead the Trojans back to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Championship after defeating No. 5 Louisiana 4-3 in the quarterfinals. He coached the Trojans to a 20-8, 4-3 SBC record with nine sweeping, including two in the league play against Southern Miss and James Madison - his second 20-win season at Troy. In the fall season, Troy saw success with Luciano Alcocer and Hiiro Sakamoto taking the ‘Flight B’ Doubles East Draw Finals with a 6-4 win before Alcocer took home the singles title, too. His players saw a plethora of accolades, including Nicolas Simkin with Sun Belt Player of the Week, Yeray Andres Pastor on All-Sun Belt Singles Second Team (17-7, 2-2 SBC) and the Noah Martens / Nicolas Simkin pair on the All-Sun Belt Doubles Second Team (8-6, 3-2 SBC). He also coached the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year in Hiiro Sakamoto en route to a 26-7, 5-2 SBC record on courts four and five.
Vargas led Troy back into the nation rankings during several occasions during the spring of 2024 as the Trojans peaked at No. 62 and Mario Martinez Serrano was ranked No. 71 in singles at his high point during the year. The Trojans posted 19 wins on the year, the second most during Vargas' tenure at Troy and marked the fifth time in his six season with 16 or more wins.
Vargas coached Martinez to back-to-back Sun Belt Player to Watch and Sun Belt All-First Team honors after he posted a 23-2 record during his sophomore campaign in 2024. Additionally, the Trojans went on the road and defeated No. 53 South Florida and defeated South Alabama for the first time in nine tries.
He deployed a new doubles lineup midway through the season which transformed Troy's play down the stretch and led to Carles Anton and Yeary Andres Pastor taking home All-Sun Belt honors.
In 2023, Vargas once again led the Trojans to the Sun Belt semifinals despite playing a roster featuring three freshmen and another player with no Sun Belt experience entering the season. Troy's success should have come as no surprise as Vargas' recruiting class, heading into the 2022-23 season was ranked the nation's number five mid-major recruiting class and the number 38 class nationally announced by the Tennis Recruiting Network. This came on the heels of Vargas being named United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Southern College Coach of the Year.
Vargas coached Mario Martinez Serrano to Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and Player to Watch honors in 2023, Troy's second SBC Freshman of the Year in the last three seasons (Carles Anton). Additionally, Martinez and Anton earned SBC First Team honors in the postseason after leading the league in wins, with 20 and 17, respectively. Martinez ended the season ranked 19th in the region and the Trojans ranked 10th as a team in the region.
In 2022, Vargas led Troy to its second straight appearance in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinals, 16 victories and a win over No. 48 Louisiana. Under his guidance, Anton earned All-Sun Belt First Team honors and finished with the best overall winning percentage in the Sun Belt with a 20-5 singles record. In addition to the ranked win over Louisiana, Vargas and the Trojans almost pulled off another stunner at No. 24 Florida State before losing to the Seminoles, 4-3, after a pair of three-set matches didn't go Troy's way. Anton finished the season ranked 18th in the region.
In 2020-21, Vargas led the Trojans to a 20-4 record and the No. 2 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament following a 3-2 league record against an abbreviated conference schedule due to COVID-19. The Trojans reached as high as No. 60 in the ITA national rankings during the season, which saw Troy win 16 of its first 17 matches in the spring, and Oskar Michalek finished the year ranked No. 125 nationally, while Anton ranked 20th in the region..
Anton was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year in addition to claiming All-Sun Belt Second Team honors after posting a 16-3 record in singles; in two years, Anton posted a 35-6 in singles, including a 30-4 mark in dual matches and 31-5 in doubles.
Additionally, Pelayo Antuna earned his second-career First Team All-Sun Belt Singles honor under Vargas' guidance in 2020-21, while Amer Bedwan earned second team honors in singles. Nicolas Simkin and Chris Tasker took home second team honors in doubles.
Troy individuals finished the season with a 63.2 winning percentage in singles and a remarkable 75.9 winning percentage in dual meets, while the Trojans' doubles' teams finished the dual portion of the second with a 66.7 winning percentage.
Although the 2019-20 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vargas' squad continued to show improvement in his second season at the helm. Under Vargas' leadership, the Trojans posted an 11-4 overall record and ended the season on a six-match winning streak.
Four different Trojans reached at least 15 singles victories, with Oskar Michalek leading the pack with 21 wins. His 21 singles wins were the most in the Sun Belt Conference this season. Anton was a bright spot for Vargas' lineup, as he went 19-3 on the year to post the best winning percentage in the SBC.
Vargas' leadership quickly impacted the Troy program in 2018-19 as he guided his squad to 17 wins, the most since the program won 25 during the 2014-15 season. In addition, Vargas coached Antuna and Michalek to All-Sun Belt honors after stellar season. Antuna, who finished the year ranked 20th in the region, earned first team honors in singles after leading the conference in singles winning percentage (.833), while Michalek was named second team in singles.
Before returning home to Troy, Vargas spent one season as the head coach at Radford, where he led the Highlanders to a 10-12 overall record and a four-win improvement from the year prior. He also coached Radford's No. 1 singles player to All-Big South honors.
Prior to his brief stint at Radford, Vargas guided the Auburn-Montgomery women's team to four NAIA National Championships (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015) and the men to a runner-up finish in 2013. From 2011 to 2017, Vargas led the men's and women's programs to a fifth-place finish or better in the NAIA, including a No. 1 overall in 2012 with both the men's and women's programs. During that special 2012 season, Vargas also coached the No. 1 ranked men's and women's singles and doubles players. During that time, he led both programs to six straight Southern States Athletic Conference titles.
He was named the USPTA Southern Coach of the Year and College Coach of the Year following the 2015 season. In his seven seasons, Vargas led the men's team to a 140-37 record and the women's squad to an impressive 150-35 mark. During the 2017 season, Vargas led both programs to national and regional rankings while playing its first full NCAA Division II schedule as the men ranked 13th and the women 19th nationally.
Vargas is a four-time NAIA Women's Coach of the Year and a nine-time SSAC Coach of the Year (five men's and four women's). In his seven seasons, Vargas coached 58 NAIA All-Americans, 30 ITA All-Americans and 10 conference players of the year. Academically, 12 of his players were named a Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete and eight were named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
Vargas played No. 1 singles and doubles during his playing career at Troy and was named an Academic All-Conference honoree as a senior in 2003. He began his coaching career as a student assistant on Troy's 2004 Atlantic Sun Conference championship squad.
After leaving Troy, Vargas played professionally for three years, with a ranking as high as 839 ATP. Before arriving at AUM, he was an assistant coach at his alma mater from 2007-09. He is a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) certified coach, earning the status of Elite Certified Professional, the highest available level.
Vargas earned his bachelor's degree from Troy in international business and his master's degree from Troy in sport management.
He and his wife, Tiffany have one daughter, Amaia, and one son, Ander.
Over the past four seasons, Troy has combined to win 93 matches, play to an overall .721 winning percentage and reach as high as No. 60 in the national rankings and final No. 8 ranking in the ITA Southern Region following the 2021 season.
The 2024-25 season saw Rolando lead the Trojans back to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Championship after defeating No. 5 Louisiana 4-3 in the quarterfinals. He coached the Trojans to a 20-8, 4-3 SBC record with nine sweeping, including two in the league play against Southern Miss and James Madison - his second 20-win season at Troy. In the fall season, Troy saw success with Luciano Alcocer and Hiiro Sakamoto taking the ‘Flight B’ Doubles East Draw Finals with a 6-4 win before Alcocer took home the singles title, too. His players saw a plethora of accolades, including Nicolas Simkin with Sun Belt Player of the Week, Yeray Andres Pastor on All-Sun Belt Singles Second Team (17-7, 2-2 SBC) and the Noah Martens / Nicolas Simkin pair on the All-Sun Belt Doubles Second Team (8-6, 3-2 SBC). He also coached the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year in Hiiro Sakamoto en route to a 26-7, 5-2 SBC record on courts four and five.
Vargas led Troy back into the nation rankings during several occasions during the spring of 2024 as the Trojans peaked at No. 62 and Mario Martinez Serrano was ranked No. 71 in singles at his high point during the year. The Trojans posted 19 wins on the year, the second most during Vargas' tenure at Troy and marked the fifth time in his six season with 16 or more wins.
Vargas coached Martinez to back-to-back Sun Belt Player to Watch and Sun Belt All-First Team honors after he posted a 23-2 record during his sophomore campaign in 2024. Additionally, the Trojans went on the road and defeated No. 53 South Florida and defeated South Alabama for the first time in nine tries.
He deployed a new doubles lineup midway through the season which transformed Troy's play down the stretch and led to Carles Anton and Yeary Andres Pastor taking home All-Sun Belt honors.
In 2023, Vargas once again led the Trojans to the Sun Belt semifinals despite playing a roster featuring three freshmen and another player with no Sun Belt experience entering the season. Troy's success should have come as no surprise as Vargas' recruiting class, heading into the 2022-23 season was ranked the nation's number five mid-major recruiting class and the number 38 class nationally announced by the Tennis Recruiting Network. This came on the heels of Vargas being named United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Southern College Coach of the Year.
Vargas coached Mario Martinez Serrano to Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and Player to Watch honors in 2023, Troy's second SBC Freshman of the Year in the last three seasons (Carles Anton). Additionally, Martinez and Anton earned SBC First Team honors in the postseason after leading the league in wins, with 20 and 17, respectively. Martinez ended the season ranked 19th in the region and the Trojans ranked 10th as a team in the region.
In 2022, Vargas led Troy to its second straight appearance in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinals, 16 victories and a win over No. 48 Louisiana. Under his guidance, Anton earned All-Sun Belt First Team honors and finished with the best overall winning percentage in the Sun Belt with a 20-5 singles record. In addition to the ranked win over Louisiana, Vargas and the Trojans almost pulled off another stunner at No. 24 Florida State before losing to the Seminoles, 4-3, after a pair of three-set matches didn't go Troy's way. Anton finished the season ranked 18th in the region.
In 2020-21, Vargas led the Trojans to a 20-4 record and the No. 2 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament following a 3-2 league record against an abbreviated conference schedule due to COVID-19. The Trojans reached as high as No. 60 in the ITA national rankings during the season, which saw Troy win 16 of its first 17 matches in the spring, and Oskar Michalek finished the year ranked No. 125 nationally, while Anton ranked 20th in the region..
Anton was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year in addition to claiming All-Sun Belt Second Team honors after posting a 16-3 record in singles; in two years, Anton posted a 35-6 in singles, including a 30-4 mark in dual matches and 31-5 in doubles.
Additionally, Pelayo Antuna earned his second-career First Team All-Sun Belt Singles honor under Vargas' guidance in 2020-21, while Amer Bedwan earned second team honors in singles. Nicolas Simkin and Chris Tasker took home second team honors in doubles.
Troy individuals finished the season with a 63.2 winning percentage in singles and a remarkable 75.9 winning percentage in dual meets, while the Trojans' doubles' teams finished the dual portion of the second with a 66.7 winning percentage.
Although the 2019-20 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vargas' squad continued to show improvement in his second season at the helm. Under Vargas' leadership, the Trojans posted an 11-4 overall record and ended the season on a six-match winning streak.
Four different Trojans reached at least 15 singles victories, with Oskar Michalek leading the pack with 21 wins. His 21 singles wins were the most in the Sun Belt Conference this season. Anton was a bright spot for Vargas' lineup, as he went 19-3 on the year to post the best winning percentage in the SBC.
Vargas' leadership quickly impacted the Troy program in 2018-19 as he guided his squad to 17 wins, the most since the program won 25 during the 2014-15 season. In addition, Vargas coached Antuna and Michalek to All-Sun Belt honors after stellar season. Antuna, who finished the year ranked 20th in the region, earned first team honors in singles after leading the conference in singles winning percentage (.833), while Michalek was named second team in singles.
Before returning home to Troy, Vargas spent one season as the head coach at Radford, where he led the Highlanders to a 10-12 overall record and a four-win improvement from the year prior. He also coached Radford's No. 1 singles player to All-Big South honors.
Prior to his brief stint at Radford, Vargas guided the Auburn-Montgomery women's team to four NAIA National Championships (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015) and the men to a runner-up finish in 2013. From 2011 to 2017, Vargas led the men's and women's programs to a fifth-place finish or better in the NAIA, including a No. 1 overall in 2012 with both the men's and women's programs. During that special 2012 season, Vargas also coached the No. 1 ranked men's and women's singles and doubles players. During that time, he led both programs to six straight Southern States Athletic Conference titles.
He was named the USPTA Southern Coach of the Year and College Coach of the Year following the 2015 season. In his seven seasons, Vargas led the men's team to a 140-37 record and the women's squad to an impressive 150-35 mark. During the 2017 season, Vargas led both programs to national and regional rankings while playing its first full NCAA Division II schedule as the men ranked 13th and the women 19th nationally.
Vargas is a four-time NAIA Women's Coach of the Year and a nine-time SSAC Coach of the Year (five men's and four women's). In his seven seasons, Vargas coached 58 NAIA All-Americans, 30 ITA All-Americans and 10 conference players of the year. Academically, 12 of his players were named a Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete and eight were named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
Vargas played No. 1 singles and doubles during his playing career at Troy and was named an Academic All-Conference honoree as a senior in 2003. He began his coaching career as a student assistant on Troy's 2004 Atlantic Sun Conference championship squad.
After leaving Troy, Vargas played professionally for three years, with a ranking as high as 839 ATP. Before arriving at AUM, he was an assistant coach at his alma mater from 2007-09. He is a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) certified coach, earning the status of Elite Certified Professional, the highest available level.
Vargas earned his bachelor's degree from Troy in international business and his master's degree from Troy in sport management.
He and his wife, Tiffany have one daughter, Amaia, and one son, Ander.
| Year | School | Record | Conf. Record | Conf. Finish | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Troy | 20-8 | 4-3 | 4th | SBC Semifinals |
| 2023-24 | Troy | 19-7 | 4-4 | 4th | SBC Quarterfinals |
| 2022-23 | Troy | 18-7 | 4-4 | 4th | SBC Semifinals |
| 2021-22 | Troy | 16-10 | 2-3 | 5th | SBC Semifinals |
| 2020-21 | Troy | 20-4 | 3-2 | 2nd | SBC Semifinals |
| 2019-20 | Troy | 11-4 | N/A | N/A | SBC Quarterfinals |
| 2018-19 | Troy | 17-8 | 1-6 | 7th | |
| Troy Totals | 121-48 (.716) | 18-22 (.450) | |||
| 2017-18 | Radford | 10-12 | 0-7 | 8th | Big South Quarterfinals |
| Radford Totals | 10-12 (.454) | 0-7 (.000) | |||
| 2016-17 | AUM (Men) | 13-6 | N/A | N/A | 13th NCAA DII |
| 2016-17 | AUM (Women) | 17-4 | N/A | N/A | 19th NCAA DII |
| 2015-16 | AUM (Men) | 19-5 | 8-1 | 1st | SAAC Champions / NAIA Quarterfinals |
| 2015-16 | AUM (Women) | 21-4 | 10-0 | 1st | SAAC Champions / NAIA Semifinals |
| 2014-15 | AUM (Men) | 21-6 | 9-0 | 1st | SAAC Champions / NAIA Semifinals |
| 2014-15 | AUM (Women) | 23-4 | 10-0 | 1st | SAAC Champions / NAIA National Champions |
| 2013-14 | AUM (Men) | 24-4 | 10-0 | 1st | SAAC Champions / NAIA Semifinals |
| 2013-14 | AUM (Women) | 19-8 | 10-0 | 1st | SAAC Champions / NAIA Quarterfinals |
| 2012-13 | AUM (Men) | 21-4 | 3-0 | 1st | SAAC Champions / NAIA Finals |
| 2012-13 | AUM (Women) | 17-8 | 4-0 | 1st | SAAC Champions / NAIA National Champions |
| 2011-12 | AUM (Men) | 17-8 | 3-0 | 1st | SAAC Champions / NAIA Quarterfinals |
| 2011-12 | AUM (Women) | 26-2 | 4-0 | 1st | SAAC Champions / NAIA National Champions |
| 2010-11 | AUM (Men) | 25-4 | 3-0 | 1st | SAAC Champions / NAIA Semifinals |
| 2010-11 | AUM (Women) | 27-5 | 5-0 | 1st | SAAC Champions / NAIA National Champions |
| AUM Totals (Men) | 140-37 (.791) | 36-1 (.973) | |||
| AUM Totals (Women) | 150-35 (.811) | 43-0 (1.000) | |||
| Career Totals | 421-124 (.773) | 97-30 (.764) | |||
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