This season of Cal men’s tennis has been the first in 29 years that it has not called Peter Wright — its winningest coach in program history — head coach. As such, the Bears began this season with women’s tennis head coach Amanda Augustus at the helm while conducting the tall task of hiring a suitable replacement.

On the day before Halloween weekend, Cal director of athletics Jim Knowlton chose Kris Kwinta as the full-time replacement for Wright.

Kwinta’s journey in tennis began as a UCLA player who earned All-American honors, where he also coached for four seasons alongside his college coach. Most recently, he had been assistant head coach of USC since 2014, while serving a brief stint as interim head coach in 2019. During his tenure, he also won 2014 ITA Southwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year.

After years as an assistant coach, the 41-year-old will get a chance to serve as head coach: a position every assistant vies for. While replacing Wright is a daunting task for any coach, Cal appears to have made a solid decision.

Kwinta will have several months to prepare the team for its next invitational in early January 2022.