University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Golden Eagles Tab Nathan Horner as Men's Tennis Head Coach
7/16/2026 12:57:00 PM | Men's Tennis
HATTIESBURG -- Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain has announced Nathan Horner as the 10th head men's tennis coach.
"First and foremost, I want to thank Jeremy McClain and Shawn Jones for entrusting me to lead this program into its next chapter," Horner said. "From the moment I started this process and came to Hattiesburg, it all just felt so welcoming.
Horner most recently served as the director of tennis at Marist, garnering several program records. This past season, Horner was named the MAAC Men's Tennis Coach of the Year after leading the Red Foxes to a regular season championship and a 15-6 mark. Marist went 8-0 in league play, making it the first time in over 10 seasons that the feat was accomplished. He also led the women's program to an 11-6 mark.
"I'm excited to get on campus and lay out the groundwork for Southern Miss men's tennis," Horner said. "I believe we can create something special here and build a program that competes at a regional and national level."
He helped tutor a pair of All-MAAC singles selections and two All-MAAC Doubles First Team selections on the men's side. Horner also helped six Red Foxes earn All-Academic Team selections, and four earn CSC Academic All-District honors. In his first season at Marist, Horner guided the women's program to the MAAC Championships for the first time since 2019. On the men's side during the 2024-25 season, he helped coach an All-MAAC First Team honoree, four MAAC All-Academic honorees, and one to the CSC Academic All-District team.
"We are excited to welcome Nathan to the Southern Miss family," McClain said. "During our search process, his experience, desire to win and impact student-athletes, and his track record of success stood out. We look forward to working with him to help elevate our men's tennis program."
Before Marist, Horner spent the previous four seasons as the head men's and women's tennis coach at Grove City College. Horner compiled a 94-39 overall record as head tennis coach at Grove City, directing the men's program to a 51-19 mark and the women's team to a 43-20 record over his four seasons.
The Grove City women's team won the 2023-24 Presidents' Athletic Conference title by downing top-seeded Allegheny in the conference tournament championship match. The Wolverines advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament for the eighth time in program history. Grove City finished 14-6 overall, one win shy of the program's single-season record.
The men's program captured the Presidents' Athletic Conference title in both 2021 and 2022. Grove City made its third-ever trip to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in 2021, then returned to the national tournament in 2022. The 2022 team tied a program record with 16 victories.
Grove City finished as conference runner-up in 2023, posting a 13-6 overall record. Horner joined the Wolverine athletic department after spending the 2021 season as head men's and women's tennis coach at New Mexico Military Institute, a military junior college in Roswell, N.M.
In spring 2021, Horner helped the N.M.M.I. men's team rank 23rd nationally in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Top 25. Standout Carlos Guiterrez earned NJCAA All-American honors following the 2021 season. The N.M.M.I. women's team finished fourth in the final ITA NJCAA Region II rankings in the spring 2021 campaign.
Horner's collegiate coaching career began in June 2019 as a volunteer assistant men's and women's tennis coach at the University of Delaware. He also worked as a tennis professional at Delcastle Tennis Center in Wilmington, Del., from August 2019 through August 2020.
An All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference performer at Division III Bridgewater (Va.) College, Horner earned 79 total victories from 2016 to 2019.
Horner graduated from Bridgewater with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and religion. As a student-athlete at Bridgewater, Horner also worked extensively with Young Life in Staunton, Va., as a youth ministry leader.
"First and foremost, I want to thank Jeremy McClain and Shawn Jones for entrusting me to lead this program into its next chapter," Horner said. "From the moment I started this process and came to Hattiesburg, it all just felt so welcoming.
Horner most recently served as the director of tennis at Marist, garnering several program records. This past season, Horner was named the MAAC Men's Tennis Coach of the Year after leading the Red Foxes to a regular season championship and a 15-6 mark. Marist went 8-0 in league play, making it the first time in over 10 seasons that the feat was accomplished. He also led the women's program to an 11-6 mark.
"I'm excited to get on campus and lay out the groundwork for Southern Miss men's tennis," Horner said. "I believe we can create something special here and build a program that competes at a regional and national level."
He helped tutor a pair of All-MAAC singles selections and two All-MAAC Doubles First Team selections on the men's side. Horner also helped six Red Foxes earn All-Academic Team selections, and four earn CSC Academic All-District honors. In his first season at Marist, Horner guided the women's program to the MAAC Championships for the first time since 2019. On the men's side during the 2024-25 season, he helped coach an All-MAAC First Team honoree, four MAAC All-Academic honorees, and one to the CSC Academic All-District team.
"We are excited to welcome Nathan to the Southern Miss family," McClain said. "During our search process, his experience, desire to win and impact student-athletes, and his track record of success stood out. We look forward to working with him to help elevate our men's tennis program."
Before Marist, Horner spent the previous four seasons as the head men's and women's tennis coach at Grove City College. Horner compiled a 94-39 overall record as head tennis coach at Grove City, directing the men's program to a 51-19 mark and the women's team to a 43-20 record over his four seasons.
The Grove City women's team won the 2023-24 Presidents' Athletic Conference title by downing top-seeded Allegheny in the conference tournament championship match. The Wolverines advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament for the eighth time in program history. Grove City finished 14-6 overall, one win shy of the program's single-season record.
The men's program captured the Presidents' Athletic Conference title in both 2021 and 2022. Grove City made its third-ever trip to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in 2021, then returned to the national tournament in 2022. The 2022 team tied a program record with 16 victories.
Grove City finished as conference runner-up in 2023, posting a 13-6 overall record. Horner joined the Wolverine athletic department after spending the 2021 season as head men's and women's tennis coach at New Mexico Military Institute, a military junior college in Roswell, N.M.
In spring 2021, Horner helped the N.M.M.I. men's team rank 23rd nationally in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Top 25. Standout Carlos Guiterrez earned NJCAA All-American honors following the 2021 season. The N.M.M.I. women's team finished fourth in the final ITA NJCAA Region II rankings in the spring 2021 campaign.
Horner's collegiate coaching career began in June 2019 as a volunteer assistant men's and women's tennis coach at the University of Delaware. He also worked as a tennis professional at Delcastle Tennis Center in Wilmington, Del., from August 2019 through August 2020.
An All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference performer at Division III Bridgewater (Va.) College, Horner earned 79 total victories from 2016 to 2019.
Horner graduated from Bridgewater with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and religion. As a student-athlete at Bridgewater, Horner also worked extensively with Young Life in Staunton, Va., as a youth ministry leader.
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