JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Aug. 4, 2008) - University of North Florida Director of Athletics Dr. Richard Gropper announced on Monday that assistant tennis coach Rodrigo Puebla has been promoted to head women's tennis coach, effective immediately.

Puebla has served as the men's and women's tennis assistant coach under head men's tennis coach Igal Buberman since November 2006. In 2008, Puebla worked closely with the women's team, where he helped lead the Lady Ospreys to an 8-3 record in the Atlantic Sun Conference, which was good for third place.

"Rodrigo Puebla has demonstrated, as our assistant coach, his ability to lead our women's tennis program over the course of the last two years," Gropper said. "He is an excellent recruiter, has done a good job of overseeing the day-to-day affairs of the program and has maintained outstanding, positive relationships with the young women on the squad."

Puebla came to UNF after spending the 2005-06 season as an assistant coach with the UTEP women's program. Prior to that, he was a graduate assistant coach for Columbus State (Ga.) when both CSU and UNF were members of the Peach Belt Conference in NCAA Division II.

Prior to arriving at CSU, he spent two seasons on the staff at Pikeville (Ky.) College. As the head women's coach, he led the Lady Bears to a No. 7 final ranking and was named NAIA Region XII and Mid- South Conference Coach of the Year in 2003. Pikeville captured back-to-back conference tournament titles in 2002 and 2003. He also served as an assistant for the men's program.

In his first season at UNF, both the men's and women's teams enjoyed tremendous success, finishing second and third, respectively, in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Three men's players earned All- Atlantic Sun Conference honors, while a pair of UNF women were named all-conference. Freshman Natalia Sanchez also earned A-Sun all-freshman honors.

In just their second season of Division I competition, the Lady Ospreys wasted no time in placing their names in the school's record book. The squad opened the year with a school record-tying eight consecutive wins en route to finishing 14-7 overall and 7-2 in Atlantic Sun Conference play, which was good enough for third place in the regular- season standings.

"I am very excited for the opportunity to take this program to new heights while honoring the great tradition it already has," Puebla said. "I would like to thank Dr. Gropper, (UNF Senior Associate Athletic Director) Kathy Klein and Igal Buberman for putting their confidence in me as the leader of UNF women's tennis."

Puebla is a native of Santiago, Chile, where he was nationally ranked as a junior and played for the Chilean Junior Team. He came to the United States and played at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Ala., for two years at the Nos. 1 and 2 singles spots.

He moved on to Pikeville, where he played No. 1 as a junior and No. 4 as a senior. The Bears were ranked 13th in the nation at the end of his senior year. Puebla graduated from Pikeville in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in business management. He was awarded his master's in health services administration from Columbus State in summer 2005.