BEVERLY, Mass. — Dejan Stankovic, Ed.D, BCB [DAY-ahn, stan-koh-VITCH] has been named the next head coach of the Endicott College men's and women's tennis programs, as announced earlier today by Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Brian A. Wylie.
Stankovic comes to Endicott following a 15-plus-year career at Boston University (BU), where he coached the men's and women's tennis teams to five conference championships in different capacities. His official start date is Monday, January 13, 2025.
"We are excited to welcome Coach Stankovic to the Endicott community and to lead both our women's and men's tennis programs," said Wylie. "His energy, passion, and commitment to developing and challenging student-athletes to reach their highest potential in all areas, was one of the many characteristics that separated Coach Stankovic from the other candidates."
Stankovic takes over the Endicott men's and women's tennis programs, which have both seen success in recent years.
The women's tennis program has been crowned Conference of New England (CNE), formerly the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), champions 10 times since 2008, featuring five straight titles from 2011-15 and four consecutive crowns from 2021-23.
On the men's side, the Gulls reached the CCC title match for the first time in program history last spring after producing 11 wins, highlighted by a 5-0 decision over Western New England University in the opening round of the tournament and a 5-4 victory over second-seeded Roger Williams in the semifinal round.
"I am excited to join Endicott's close-knit and supportive athletic department and look forward to leading the men's and women's tennis programs," said Stankovic. "My goal is to build a team culture that reflects Endicott's values while helping our student-athletes excel both on and off the court. I want to thank Dr. Wylie and the entire committee for welcoming me and giving me this incredible opportunity."
At the helm of the Boston University men's tennis program (2013-2024), Stankovic guided the Terriers to unprecedented results on and off the court — highlighted by the team's first Patriot League (PL) Championship and NCAA Tournament berth last spring. The Scarlet and White dethroned five-time defending champion Navy, 4-3, in a near-four-hour match to break a near-30-year title drought.
Stankovic led BU to a 21-8 overall record (6-0 PL) in 2023-24 to claim his first Patriot League Coach of the Year award. Both win totals are program records in the BU-Patriot League era.
The Terriers also finished the campaign with their highest ranking this century in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) year-end New England regional poll behind four Ivy League schools.
Additionally, the Terriers garnered four All-Conference honors, including the program's first Player of the Year award and second straight Rookie of the Year honor since joining the league in 2013-14. Stankovic's program competed against Army, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, Loyola (Md.), and Navy while in the Patriot League.
Stankovic compiled 100 wins during his 10-year tenure, while the Terriers made two conference championship appearances (2023-24, 1 title) and seven trips to the Patriot League semifinals.
Academically, the program collected five ITA All-Academic Team awards (3.20+ GPA for the year), 42 ITA Scholar-Athlete citations (3.50+ GPA for the year), and 71 PL Academic Honor Roll awards (3.20+ GPA for the year).
From 2007-12, Stankovic served as an assistant coach with the BU women's tennis program, helping guide the Terriers to four America East championships, four NCAA Tournament berths, and a No. 59 ranking in the national polls. TennisRecruiting.net ranked each of the team's recruiting classes in its top-25 mid-major poll during that span.
A lifelong learner, Stankovic left the women's program at the end of the 2011-12 season to focus on his doctoral program at BU. Stankovic completed his doctorate in counseling psychology with a specialization in sports psychology two years later before returning to coach the BU men's tennis program.
He previously earned his master's degree from the BU School of Education in counseling psychology (coaching concentration) in 2008 and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from St. Bonaventure in May of 2007, graduating magna cum laude.
Stankovic's published work includes a dissertation on "Mindfulness Meditation Training for Tennis Players". He also holds certifications in biofeedback, applied psychophysiology, and applied sports psychology.
A four-year letterman at St. Bonaventure, Stankovic was twice named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week.
(some information courtesy of BU Athletic Communications)
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(Photo Credit - Kaeli Talora '25)
