Saint Leo University Director of Athletics Francis X. Reidy named James Bryce as the new head men’s and women’s tennis coach in August of 2009.

Bryce comes to Saint Leo from fellow NCAA Division II institution Columbus State University where he was the assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s programs, giving him the necessary experience to run a combined tennis operation out of one office.  His two-year stint for the Cougars saw Bryce earn valuable recruiting experience, as he helped take both teams to numerous NCAA postseason tournaments.

Prior to his time at Columbus State, Bryce started his collegiate coaching career at Samford University after concluding a four-year career as a member of the Bulldogs’ men’s tennis team. As a member of the 2005 Ohio Valley Conference regular season champions, Bryce was also on two runner-up teams in the OVC tournament and was the program’s Most Improved Player during the 2002-03 season.

The native of Solihull, England, Bryce got his first shot at coaching in the fall of 2000 when he became a Development Tennis Coach for the David Lloyd Leisure Club in a position he held until the summer of 2005.

Bryce is now entering his third season with the Lions. 

In 2010-11, Bryce led his women to 15-10 overall record, a seven win improvement from the previous year, and one of the best records in program history. The ladies defeated Sunshine State Conference foe Tampa on three different occasions and earned four wins over nationally-ranked squads.  

During the 2009-10 season, his first year at the helm of the Saint Leo men’s and women’s tennis teams, Bryce began to develop his core group of players that will be the success to the program in the coming years.

He helped guide the women to an 8-15 overall record and a 2-6 Sunshine State Conference mark. They finished seventh in the Sunshine State Conference and also registered a seventh-place showing in the SSC Tournament.

The men, on the other hand, finished with a 3-20 overall record and 0-6 in the SSC. The team closed the year seventh in the conference and seventh in the SSC Tournament.

Bryce, married to the former Erin Heeder, lives in Wesley Chapel, Fla. with their two cats, Oreo and Topsin, and their Yellow Labrador, Barkley.