Pontus Hiort Position: Head Coach Experience: 2nd Season Alma Mater: Murray State, 1995

For Northern Illinois University's Pontus Hiort, tennis is a doubles affair since he serves as the head coach for the Huskie men and the NIU women.

Not exactly an easy feat, but it's right down the alley for an individual whose hustle has taken him all over the globe, the court and the classroom.

Born in Uppsala, Sweden, Hiort parlayed his early tennis skills into a scholarship opportunity at Murray State University. He used that opportunity to succeed on the court -- ultimately becoming the 1996 Ohio Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year -- and in the classroom -- earning both a double bachelor's degree and a master's from MSU.

The chance to combine coaching with further academic pursuit brought him to Northern Illinois. He began his association with Huskie tennis initially as a volunteer coach as early as 1997-98, and ultimately became the head men's tennis coach in 2003-04. The following year he added the women's head coaching duty to his plate while continuing to work on a doctorate from NIU in history.

His connection with the NIU men's tennis program stretches back to the days when Mickey Maule's team made the school's return to the Mid-American Conference. He served as the primary assistant under Steve Rodecap as Northern Illinois began its ascent within the Mid-Am.

During his time as Rodecap's right-hand man, Hiort helped lead the Huskies to three consecutive winning seasons starting in 2000-01, including the school's first-ever appearance in a MAC Championship match. That came during the 2001-02 campaign when NIU upset Western Michigan University on the Anderson Hall Tennis Courts in DeKalb.

After moving up to the head coaching slot for 2003-04, he added to Northern Illinois' rise as the team recorded an 18-6 overall mark and made a second straight MAC Championship match appearance. A more modest 13-10 mark in 2004-05 served as the program's fifth straight winning season for the men.

Players under Hiort's tutelage have made an undeniable impact on the Northern Illinois program starting first and foremost with three-time First-Team All-MAC honoree Raymond vanWasbeek, who completed his eligibility in 2002 with the ninth-best career record for a school whose doubles history includes the Gulliksons (Tim and Tom). VanWasbeek also sits ninth in the Huskie record book for single-season doubles wins with 25 during the 2001-02 campaign.

In his debut season as head coach, three Huskies tallied 20 or more singles victories including First-Team All-MAC performer Willy Gali, who boasted a stellar 25-4 singles mark along with 21 doubles wins. He was joined on the First-Team All-MAC unit by teammate Juan Pablo Barriga, who racked up 37 total wins and was the league's selection for the Jack Vredevelt Sportsmanship Award. Barriga emulated his coach in another respect, earning Academic All-MAC acclaim.

Despite inheriting a women's program that was short-handed in terms of personnel, Hiort guided Northern Illinois' 2004-05 unit to an 8-10 overall mark and 3-6 MAC ledger.

A veteran of major tournaments in his native Sweden as a player, Hiort has an extensive tennis background based on his experiences and competitive days. Once ranked as high as 89th in Sweden, Hiort's highlight victories include a triumph over highly-regarded Jonas Bjorkman. In addition to playing on an ATP satellite circuit from 1990 to 1991.

On the collegiate level, Hiort split time between the No. 1 and No. 2 singles slot for Murray State from 1992-96. A four-time All-Ohio Valley Conference honoree, he was also named the OVC's 1996 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. At Murray State, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1995 for both history and German before completing work on his master's degree in history from MSU in 1997. He currently is working on completing a Ph.D in European history at NIU. Hiort, 35, is engaged to Northern Illinois women's track distance coach Gretchen Folck.