TYLER, TEXAS – After more than 16 seasons leading the UT Tyler men's and women's tennis programs, Chris Bizot has stepped down to accept the head women's tennis coaching position at NCAA Division I UNCW.

Bizot leaves as one of the most accomplished coaches in Patriot Athletics history, having guided both programs through sustained success across the University's NCAA Division III and Division II eras. In two tenures (2005-16 and 2023-26), he built championship programs that consistently competed among the nation's best while developing countless student-athletes on and off the court.

Since returning to UT Tyler in 2022, Bizot elevated the Patriots into one of Division II's premier tennis programs. The men's team won three Lone Star Conference championships, reached four straight NCAA Tournaments, advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 in 2023, NCAA Quarterfinals in 2024 and 2026, and made the program's first NCAA Division II National Semifinal appearance in 2025. The Patriots won at least 20 matches in each of his four full seasons back in Tyler and climbed as high as No. 2 in the ITA national rankings.

The women's program also reached new heights under Bizot's leadership during his second stint. After making its first Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship appearance in 2025, the Patriots continued their rise by qualifying for the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time in program history in 2026, capturing the program's first Lone Star Conference regular season championship, and advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals.

His first tenure at UT Tyler established the foundation for the program's long-term success. From 2005-16, the men's team captured 12 American Southwest Conference East Division championships, eight ASC Tournament championships, and made nine NCAA Tournament appearances. The women won 10 ASC East Division championships, eight ASC Tournament titles, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament eight times, helping establish Patriot Tennis as a perennial regional power.

Beyond the tennis courts, Bizot served UT Tyler as interim director of athletics during the 2024-25 academic year and previously held positions as assistant athletic director for compliance and assistant compliance coordinator.

"Coach Bizot has been transformational for Patriot tennis," said Director of Athletics Sam Ferguson. "Through multiple Lone Star Conference championships, four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, and a historic run to the national semifinals, he built one of the elite programs in NCAA Division II. We are deeply grateful for everything he has given this program. Because of the foundation he has laid, we are in an outstanding position to attract top-tier coaching talent, and we are moving quickly to fill this role. The best is yet to come for UT Tyler tennis, thanks to the work of Coach Bizot."

Throughout his time at UT Tyler, Bizot coached numerous conference champions, All-Americans, Academic All-Americans, and ITA Scholar-Athletes while earning multiple conference and regional Coach of the Year honors. His teams also excelled academically, maintaining an average team GPA of 3.75.

"It has been a blessing to lead these programs for so many years," Bizot said. "I would like to thank Dr. Howard Patterson and Dr. Rod Mabry for hiring a young and inexperienced coach back in 2004. Most importantly I would like to thank all the players (current and former) who have achieved unbelievable success on and off the court. The opportunity to play a small role in their journey to help them be champions in life is the most rewarding part of my time at UT Tyler. I look forward to seeing the current teams continue to build on our momentum and achieve great things in the future!"

UT Tyler Athletics will immediately begin a search for the next leader of the Patriot men's and women's tennis programs.