SMC California Athletics

In July of 2025 the Saint Mary's Athletics Department announced Dan Cardiff as the new head coach for the Gaels men's tennis program ahead of the 2025-26 season. Cardiff becomes just the fourth head coach in program history after Greg Kennett announced his retirement after eight seasons leading the program.  

Cardiff joins the Gael family after serving as the head assistant coach of the women's tennis program at the University of Rhode Island from 2023-25. Along with head coach Jonas Brobeck, Cardiff helped the Rams to a double-digit win season in 2024, doubling their win total from their 2023 campaign. They followed that up with 15 match victories during the 2024-25 season for second most in a single-season in program history. Cardiff and the coaching staff combined for six all-conference selections over their two years including the A-10 Most Outstanding Rookie Award in Katharina Spieth, becoming the first player in program history to win a major year-end award for the Rams. 

Prior to Rhode Island Dan Cardiff worked as a Senior Tennis Professional for the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. There, he played a pivotal role in the launching of the "Be Legendary" program, a global youth initiative to educate and promote the great values that tennis offers young players. Cardiff also helped develop the curriculum for various programs at the tennis center including Team Fame and the NJTL program.

Like several SMC coaches, Cardiff has a tie to the Lamorinda area as he earned his Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from Saint Mary's back in 2019. He was also the Head of Competitive Development at the Orinda Country Club for over three years dating back to 2023.    

"I am very honored and fortunate to be joining the Gael family and to be coaching a great group of guys", said Cardiff. "Saint Mary's is beautiful and I couldn't think of a better place to play college tennis, get a great education and enjoy life experiences. This team has tremendous potential and I look forward to getting to work as we look to climb the ranks of the West Coast Conference" (Cardiff). 

Athletically, Cardiff was a dual sport athlete at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo from 2014-18. He was a member of their men's tennis team as well as a standout on the men's track & field team during his five year career with the Mustangs. During his senior campaign, the Mustangs went 18-8 and advanced to the Big West Championship match after recording postseason victories over UC Riverside and UC Davis. Additional athletic accomplishments following his collegiate career included USTA National Open Grass Court Mixed Doubles Championships in 2024, Doubles Championships in 2021 as well as the Singles Championships in 2022. 

Cardiff graduated from Cal Poly in 2018 with an undergraduate degree in Child Development and a minor in Psychology. He then earned his Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from Saint Mary's in 2019.