Shawn Heinchon enters his sixth season as assistant men's tennis coach at Wake Forest. Working under head coach Jeff Zinn, Heinchon handles all daily operations of men's programs in conjunction with coach Zinn, travel arrangements, budget concerns, practice schedules and assists in recruiting and practice plans.
Named the 2002 ITA Region II Assistant Coach of the Year, Heinchon was bestowed the honor by his peers after helping Wake Forest's program grow by leaps and bounds since his arrival in 1999. The Demon Deacons have strung together three consecutive top four finishes in the ACC for the first time in 26 years and the school record book has been completely rewritten in his time here. Heinchon has coached eight All-ACC selections and seven conference flight champions in his five years at Wake Forest. An extremely organized, knowledgeable and personable figure in the tennis world, Heinchon has organized several tournaments in his time at Wake Forest, including the ACC Indoor Tournament every January and the massive USTA Boys and Girls 16s Southeast Zonal Championships in the summers that take over nearly every tennis court in the city of Winston-Salem.
Heinchon had been working as a professional tennis instructor in Largo, Fla., for four years prior to joining the Wake Forest staff.
Spending two years traveling on the WTA Tour as a coach from 1994-1996, Heinchon began establishing himself as a key figure in the world of tennis recruiting. While traveling with the WTA, he also served as the head professional instructor at Bardmoor Stearns Academy in Largo. He is a certified USPTA Professional. Heinchon served as the USTA Zonal Coach for the Florida section in 1997 and 1998. From 1994-1998, he traveled extensively with juniors to local and national events.
Playing on the professional level for two years, Heinchon competed on the ATP Satellite Circuit from 1991-1993. He was fortunate enough to travel extensively through Europe and the United States.
As a collegian, Heinchon was a four-year starter for the University of Southwestern Louisiana. He was a member of the Ragin Cajun team that captured the 1992 Sun Belt Conference championship. Heinchon received his bachelor's degree from USL in 1992.
In a stellar prep career, Heinchon was a member of three state championship teams at the infamous Thom Howard Academy in St. Petersburg, FL. While attending Thom Howard Academy, Heinchon's high school tennis team never lost a dual match, and to this day Thom Howard Academy has only lost one dual tennis match.
Heinchon, 32, is single and resides in Winston-Salem. He enjoys traveling and jogging in his leisure time.
Send an E-mail to Coach Heinchon: heinchsx@wfu.edu
