Peter MacDonald begins his 13th season at the helm of the Gonzaga University men’s tennis team in 2017-18.
Under MacDonald, the Bulldogs have steadily improved on and off the court. MacDonald has coached two All-West Coast Conference Singles selections (Alvaro Nazal, 2013 and 2015), one All-WCC Second Team Singles selection (Roman Dojak, 2010), seven All-WCC Singles Honorable Mentions and six All-WCC Doubles Honorable Mentions. Academically, the program has seen four CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 selections (Roman Dojak in 2010 and Levin Guillermo from 2011-13) and 16 All-WCC Academic honorees.
MacDonald has led the Zags to numerous program firsts and top seasons, the most recent coming in 2014-15. Most notably, the Zags picked up their first WCC Championships opening round victory in school history, dispatching Santa Clara 4-0 to begin the 2015 tournament. The win advanced them to the tournament’s second round, also a program first. Additionally, Gonzaga posted three conference victories during the regular season for the first time, and the Zags tied for sixth in the regular season standings, their highest finish under MacDonald and highest in a 10-team West Coast Conference.
In all, the Bulldogs have finished seventh or better five times in the tough WCC with MacDonald at the helm. They’ve recorded four seasons with double-digit victories under MacDonald, and they’ve twice won 11 dual matches (2007 and 2015).
Under MacDonald, the Zags have seen numerous other records fall as well. Alvaro Nazal broke the program’s single-season and career singles victories with 27 and 76, respectively, and Nazal became the first Bulldog to play at the ITA All-American Championships in during the 2013-14 season. In October of 2014, MacDonald coached Nazal to the semifinals of the ITA Northwest Regionals, the deepest run throughout Gonzaga tennis history in that tournament.
During his time in Spokane, MacDonald also served as Co-Director of the Spokane Racquet Club. The Spokane Racquet Club was the home site of men’s and women’s home matches before The Stevens Center opened in 2013-14.
Before Gonzaga, MacDonald was a private tennis coach in Portland, Oregon. During that time, he developed a high performance junior tennis program while organizing and coordinating clinics for the top players in the Pacific Northwest. As a private instructor, MacDonald helped coach several players reach national open tournaments in both singles and doubles play. MacDonald also served as the assistant women's tennis coach at the University of Portland from 1996-98, helping with the technical and strategic development of the players.
MacDonald is a 1996 graduate of the University of Portland, earning his bachelors of science degree in business management.
