INDIANAPOLIS - Marian University assistant women's tennis coach Steve Mackell has been named head coach of the four-time Mid-Central College Conference champion men's tennis team, director of athletics Joe Haklin announced on Tuesday.

He becomes the seventh head coach in Marian University men's tennis history after former coach Kristopher Looney resigned earlier this month.

"Steve brings energy, enthusiasm, and expertise to our men's tennis program," said Haklin. "He is committed to building a long-standing tradition of excellence at Marian University. He excelled as a collegiate tennis player at an institution which is very similar to Marian University. He knows what it takes to succeed at our level and I look forward to working with him as we move forward into a new era of men's tennis at Marian University."

Mackell is currently the program director for the National Junior Tennis League in Indianapolis and has served in that role since April of this year. He will continue in this role while he is MU men's tennis head coach. Prior to taking the position with the NJTL, he spent three years as the Indianapolis territory manager for John Conti Gourmet Coffee Company based in Louisville, Kentucky.

He has served as assistant coach for the Marian University women's tennis team for the past two years and has helped guide them to sustained success each season. He assisted with a team that has a record of 25-16 over the last two seasons and finished third in the Mid-Central College Conference last season.

Mackell was a four-year letter winner at Georgetown College in Kentucky from 2001-2005. During his time at Georgetown, he was named the team's Most Valuable Player in 2004-05 and was also named team captain during his senior year. He earned All-Mid-South Conference honors during his senior campaign and picked up a Mid-South Conference Player of the Week award on March 20, 2005.

The Marian University men's tennis team is coming off a 6-12 season in 2009-10, but earned a 4-3 mark in the Mid-Central College Conference to finish in third place.

The Knights open the 2010-11 season on August 21 with the Alumni Match before heading to Whiting, Indiana on August 28 to take on Calumet College of Saint Joseph at 2 p.m.