SPOKANE, Wash. - Steve Clark, the current Director of Tennis and Head Professional at the Spokane Racquet Club who led UC Irvine to seven NCAA tournament appearances, will join the Whitworth University men's tennis staff as an assistant coach for the 2009-10 season.

"We are very excited to have Steve," said Pirate head coach Mike Shanks. "His fire and desire to help players improve will be a tremendous asset to the Whitworth men’s tennis program."

Clark coached the Anteaters from September of 1992 through May of 2006. Over the course of those 14 seasons he guided UCI to a pair of conference championships and teams that finished ranked as high as sixth and 16th in the nation.

Clark was also the head coach at Texas A&M in 1992, and the top assistant coach at UC Irvine from 1989-91. He also has experience at the small college level, as the head coach at Chapman University from 1988-89.

As a collegiate player, Clark was an All-American at UC Davis in 1985.

Clark moved to Spokane in 2006 to become the Director of Tennis and the Head Professional at Spokane Racquet Club. He also serves as an adjunct instructor for the Moody Bible Institute in Spokane.