May 10, 2005

Malibu, Calif. - Pepperdine men's tennis assistant coach Per Nilsson was named the West Region's 2005 "Assistant Coach of the Year" by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), it was announced on Monday.

Nilsson is in his third year as an assistant to head coach Adam Steinberg and has helped Pepperdine register a 21-2 overall record, capture the school's 36th West Coast Conference (WCC) championship and a No. 9 national ranking.

Nilson, a native of Sweden, and the Waves received a No. 8 national seed in the NCAA Championships and will host UC Irvine in a first-round match at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center on Saturday at 10 a.m.

"Per is a tremendous asset to the men's tennis program at Pepperdine, Steinberg said. "He is an outstanding young coach and has a tremendous knowledge of the game. We are working closely to build on the University's long-standing tradition of excellence in the sport of men's tennis.

"Per is well-deserving of this honor and it does not come as a surprise to me," Steinberg added.