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ESTERO — After guiding the men and women to the NCAA Division II Tournament last season, Florida Gulf Coast University coach J. Webb Horton will again lead both teams next season and likely well into the future.

Horton coached the women for the first time last season, on an interim basis, after Fred Drilling resigned in June.

"You know, you always worry about the first year — will this work?" said FGCU athletic director Carl McAloose of Horton's double duty. "But sheesh!

"Fred Drilling did a great job with our women's team, too, but J. Webb continued with that tradition, took both teams to the NCAA Tournament. I'd say there are very few teams in the country that can say that."

The women went 13-6 and finshed the season at No. 15 in the final Fila Division II Collegiate Tennis Rankings. The women's team knocked off then-No. 9 Nova Southeastern, then-No. 14 Rollins College, then-No. 21 Florida Southern and then-No. 26 Drury last season, advancing to the Southeast Regional at Lynn University, where they knocked off fifth-seeded Nova Southeastern, 5-4, before losing, 5-0, to the top-seeded host.

The men went 16-6 and broke into the top 10 before being ousted by Florida Southern in the first round of the Southeast Region. They finished the season ranked 14th. Both FGCU seniors — Juan Carlos Osorio and Tim Offerman — earned All-American status. Osorio, who was undefeated, finished the season ranked second in singles. Osorio and Offerman teamed up for a final 10th-place ranking in doubles. Osorio is the first FGCU player to make All-America in singles and doubles.

Horton

"He did an unbelievable job, just a wonderful job," McAloose said of Horton. "A lot of schools (have one coach for both teams), but some of them don't do it real well — in some cases a coach gives one (team) more attention than the other. But he's somehow been able to balance the two.

"Very good recruiter, great with people. I think just about everybody in the world knows J. Webb, so he can schedule (both teams) together, normally, which is nice — doubleheaders going on.

"I can't think of a better person to run the two programs."

Horton, who has posted a 77-27 record in five seasons with the men, said he "loved" leading both teams last season and had hoped to continue. However, he learned an important thing while doing so and continuing his assistant athletic director duties.

"That I need help!" said Horton, laughing.

It's on the way. McAloose will give Horton — who led the men's and women's teams at Northern Kentucky University (2000-'01) and Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne (1996-2000) — a graduate assistant.

"He or she will work with both teams, help me coordinate practice, do the scheduling, coordinate our travel — the whole nine yards," Horton said.

"It will be nice to have someone because there are times that I've got administrative responsibilities — could be staff meetings, compliance issues — that I've got to be at. I know I can send my assistant out there and they can run practice and get the boat afloat until I get there.

"And the other thing is it can help us with recruiting — I can send them on the road to help out with things."

A member of the board of directors for the Lee County Tennis Association and the USA Tennis Florida for Diversity task force, Horton said treating both teams equally has led to a bonding experience.

"The thing I really liked seeing was the camaraderie between our men's and women's teams. I mean, our men were cheering really hard for the women at our regional and vice versa.

"It's a tennis program."