Butler University Athletics

Parker Ross recently concluded his sixth season in charge of the Butler men's tennis program.

The Bulldogs finished the 2018 season with a 14-7 overall record. Michael Dickson was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year while Mason Dragos earned First Team All-BIG EAST honors during Ross' sixth season. 

Ross earned 2017 BIG EAST Coach of the Year honors as he guided the Bulldogs to the BIG EAST championship and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007.

In 2017, Butler finished tenth in the ITA rankings for the Ohio Valley region, while the doubles team of Mikheil Khmiadashvili and Mason Dragos earned a spot in the NCAA Doubles Championships and finished the 2017 season ranked ninth in the region after being ranked as high as No. 26 nationally. The duo is believed to be the first Butler team to qualify for the event. Khmiadashvili was named BIG EAST Player of the Year. 

The Bulldogs finished the 2017 season with a dual match record of 18-6.

In 2016, Ross coached Aviv Ben Shabat and Ari Gerstein to a semifinal appearance at the ITA Regionals and a top five regional ranking.

The former tennis standout for the Bulldogs was hired as men’s tennis coach at Butler University in 2012. Prior to taking over the program, Ross spent two seasons as men’s assistant coach under long-time head coach Jason Suscha.

Ross, a native of Libertyville, Ill., began his college tennis career at the University of Iowa before transferring to Butler in 2004. He was twice named second team All-Horizon League as a player and was a co-captain on two Butler teams that won league championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. In his two seasons at Butler, Ross posted a 36-29 singles record and a 39-27 doubles record.

Ross took over the men’s tennis program at Butler after stints as a coach at Five Seasons Tennis Club and the Lawrence Township Tennis Association in Indianapolis. While at Five Seasons, he managed and organized junior tennis player programs and he mentored high school players in the USTA Junior circuit. He coached several top high performance juniors while at Five Seasons and North Central High School. 

Ross earned his degree from Butler in media arts in 2006. Ross moved to Chicago after graduation, working in Management Consulting for Capgemini (2006-09) before moving back to Indianapolis to pursue a career in coaching.