ANUK
CHRISTIANSZ
MEN'S TENNIS
HEAD COACH
ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY, '85
Anuk Christiansz is in his fifth season leading the Senators men’s tennis program. He spent the 2002 season as the assistant coach for both the men and women’s program and from 2003 to 2004; he served AUM as the head coach of both programs.
Last season Christiansz led the Senators back to the winner’s circle as they won the NAIA National Championship. It came one year after the Senators were defeated in the semifinal round in 2005. The national championship is something the Senators are accustomed to as the championship was the second in the past three years, and the third in the past five seasons. The program now has five National Championship banners hanging in the physical education complex, with three of those under the careful watch ofChristiansz.
Winning has always been a part of his programs as he also led the AUM women’s team to back-to-back championships in 2002 and 2003.
On their way to the championship last season, the team finished the year with a 25-1 record, with the lone loss coming to NCAA Division I member Winthrop University by a narrow 4-3 score. Over the course of the season’s accomplishments,Christiansz was named the Southern States Athletic Conference, NAIA Region XIII and NAIA National Coach-of-the-Year. It was the second time in his career he has received the national award.
During his first season as head coach of the men’s program, Christianz led the Senators to a 15-2 mark overall and narrowly missed out on a bid to the national tournament. That season with the women, he led the Lady Senators to the Georgia-Alabama-Carolinas Conference (GACC) championship and on to the NAIA National Tournament where they came up just short of capturing the national championship, as they fell in the championship match to Northwood (Fla. ) University.
Prior to becoming the head coach of both
programs, Christiansz was instrumental to the success of the 2002 AUM men and
women’s tennis teams. The men captured their third national championship and
the women finished as the NAIA National Runners-Up.
Christianz also played in the Davis Cup for his native country,
Sri Lanka in 1981 and 1982.
Christiansz and his wife, the former Holle Roberts make their home in Montgomery.