PUEBLO, Colo. (June 25, 2020) – Colorado State University Pueblo Men's and Women's Tennis Head Coach Mark Schleif has resigned, effective June 30. Schleif served as the head coach of the men's program for eight seasons and was at the helm of the women's program for seven years. 
 
"This is more of a semi-retirement, as my wife and I are moving on in the next phase of our life," Schleif said. "The opportunity to work with young adults and the staff at CSU Pueblo has been fantastic. Working with the fellow coaches towards a common goal of providing the student-athletes with a good experience was very rewarding. The best memories are the student-athletes that graduate and move on and become successful and share that with you. Helping them along the way is the best part of it."
 
"I'm thankful I had the opportunity to work with Mark," said CSU Pueblo Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Paul Plinske. "He was a special person who gave his best to our Athletic Department. The academic success of his teams played a significant role in advancing our strategic plan. I wish Mark the best as he transitions to the next phase of his life."
 
In his eight years as the men's coach, 10 athletes earned All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference singles honors with three landing on the first team. A total of seven doubles pairs were recognized by the conference with one on the first team. In 2018, Thomas Pudney was named RMAC Freshman of the Year.
 
In seven seasons as the women's coach, 10 student-athletes earned singles All-RMAC awards, with three gathering a first team nod. There were seven doubles partners recognized as all-conference during his tenure.
 
"Seeing the student-athlete's expressions after some big wins feels really good and I'll take that with me," Schleif said. 
 
Schleif's teams were highly successful in the classroom. The squads earned multiple All-Academic Team Awards from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and student-athletes were named scholar athletes. The men's team won the RMAC Brechler Award in 2013, 2017 and 2018, which is awarded to the school with the top GPA in each of the league's sponsored sports. The women won the Brechler Award in 2015.
 
A total of 36 student-athletes were named Academic All-RMAC, while seven women were first team honorees and five men earned a spot on the top squad. Saul Shrom (2014) and David Mould (2017) of the men's team were RMAC Summit Award winners, which is given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at the conference championship. On the women's side, Teresa Haro was named the Summit Award winner in 2014. Marcelo Chaparro was recognized as the 2016 RMAC Academic Player of the Year. Shrom went on to earn Academic All-America honors and was a two-time Academic All-District award winner. Mould was also an Academic All-District performer. 
 
"We had a lot of academic accolades and I'm proud of those accomplishments," Schleif said. "Those awards mean more than the wins and losses." 
 
Schleif came to CSU Pueblo in November of 2013 after serving as the Director of Tennis at the Pueblo Country Club. His career includes numerous years of experience at both the collegiate and professional levels.

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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.