The 2025 season marked Kevin Kurtz’s 21st year with the program, and eighth as the Hornets’ head coach. Kurtz spent 13 seasons as the assistant coach before being elevated to head coach in January of 2018.
During his coaching tenure, Kurtz has helped coach the Hornets to a 123-47 mark in the Big Sky Conference, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, seven conference tournament crowns, and seven Big Sky regular season championships.
In fact, Kurtz was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year in 2024 after guiding the team to a 17-7 overall record, 7-1 conference mark, Big Sky regular season and tournament crowns, and an NCAA Tournament appearance. That magical season also saw the team post a seven-match winning streak (longest since 2010), and an eight-match winning streak vs. Big Sky opposition (longest since 2011). A program-record six Hornets were named all-Big Sky, including conference MVP Mark Keki.
Sacramento State has received a combined 59 all-conference selections during his tenure, including 38 first team selections and seven MVP awards.
In 2023, Sacramento State went 12-7 overall, 5-2 in the Big Sky, and 9-1 at home. The Hornets were the No. 2 seed at the Big Sky Tournament, had a pair of winning streaks at least four matches long, won their first nine home matches of the season for the first time since 2010, and won the doubles point in 13 of the team’s 19 matches.
In 2022, the Hornets won a school-record 13 straight doubles points to begin the season, and finished the year 19-4 in doubles outcomes. In addition, Sacramento State made a nine-win improvement from the previous season.
In June of 2020, the Hornets’ recruiting class was ranked ninth in the nation among all mid-major institutions. One of the recruits from that class was Keki, who became the first player in Sacramento State history to earn first team all-Big Sky honors in both singles and doubles play four consecutive seasons.
As an assistant coach (2005-18), Kurtz had his fingerprints an array of duties for the program, including recruiting, on-court coaching, scheduling, travel, budget and equipment.
Kurtz was named the 2013 ITA Northwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year after helping guide the Hornets to Big Sky regular season and tournament crowns, as well as an NCAA Tournament appearance. The team finished with a 17-13 overall record and a 9-1 mark in the conference despite using a singles lineup that consisted of one senior and five underclassmen in every match.
During the 2011 and 2012 seasons, the Hornets won a pair of Big Sky Tournament crowns and combined for a 15-1 league record. The Hornets used four freshmen in the 2012 singles lineup every match, and still found a way to win eight of their last 11 matches and post a 7-1 league mark.
Also during the 2010-11 academic year, Kurtz coached Kiryl Harbatsiuk to the program’s first-ever ITA Northwest Regional singles title, a quarterfinal appearance at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Tennis Championship, the Big Sky Conference MVP, and the Sacramento State Senior Male Student-Athlete of the Year award.
In 2010, Sacramento State posted a 17-12 overall record and a 7-1 mark in the conference. The team swept both opponents (Montana, Northern Arizona) it faced in the Big Sky Tournament before falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to ninth-ranked UCLA. During the season, the team put together a 10-match winning streak. In 2009, despite a singles lineup that included four underclassmen and no seniors, Sacramento State posted a 19-7 overall record and a perfect 8-0 mark in Big Sky play. The team won 18 of its final 20 matches of the season prior to falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to ninth-ranked Stanford.
In 2008, Kurtz helped guide Sacramento State to a 15-8 overall record and an 8-0 mark in the conference. Four of his players earned all-conference honors, including Anton Stryhas being named the league’s MVP. In Kurtz’s first year as a full-time assistant in 2007, the Hornets’ 20-6 record was the team’s best mark in six years, and the team won the Big Sky regular season and tournament crowns for the first time since 2003.
Prior to arriving at Sacramento State, Kurtz, who is a 32-year coaching veteran, was an assistant at American River College (2002-04) where he helped guide the team to a conference championship and a top 10 ranking in the state of California in both 2003 and 2004.
At the high school level, Kurtz was the head varsity tennis coach at both Jesuit High School (1994-05) in Carmichael, Calif., and Loretto High School (2002-05) in Sacramento.
At Jesuit, he coached the team to 11 consecutive league titles and eight section championships. He was named The Sacramento Bee High School Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2005, and the Untied States Professional Tennis Association Northern California High School Coach of the Year in 2005.
He guided Loretto High School to its first two section championships (2004, 2005) in school history, as well as three consecutive league titles (2003-05). For his efforts, he was again named The Sacramento Bee High School Coach of the Year in 2004.
Kurtz graduated from Sacramento State in 2003 with a communication studies degree. He and his wife, Cher, reside in Sacramento and have two daughters, Kennedi and Harper.
