Albie Brice enters his eighth season at the helm of the Battling Bishop's tennis program. No stranger to Bishop Athletics, he previously served as NCWU's head tennis coach for five years, helping reinstate the men's program in 1999 and started the women's program that same season.
Brice joined the program as a full-time assistant coach in 2016 prior to taking over as interim head coach in April of 2017. His interim tenure saw him post a combined 8-3 record with the men and women, which included securing the men's ninth straight USA South title and the women's third straight winning season. Most recently in 2018, he helped lead NCWU's men to their tenth straight USA South crown and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, while on the women's side, he helped guide Wesleyan to the 2018 USA South Tournament Championship and the program's second NCAA berth.
In joining Bishop tennis in a full-time capacity, he also served as head cross country coach for the 2016 season. An avid runner himself, he brought a wealth of training knowledge to a young program looking to improve within the USA South Conference and South Region.
Recently in the 2022-23 season, Brice led both teams to the NCAA Tournament including the men who were one match away from the National Championships in Florida. Under his leadership, the women's program has grown into one of the top in DIII with Kristal Dule becoming the first female athlete in Wesleyan history to compete as an individual in the NCAA Tournament. Headed into the 2023-24 campaign, men's tennis currently has won 14 straight USA South Championships under his watch. He also had an All-American selection from both program for the first time ever.
This past year, Brice led both Battling Bishop programs back to the NCAA Tournament and oversaw an NCAA Individual National Championship selectee in John Falke.
Brice has also overseen major facility upgrades including the state-of-the-art Indoor Sports and Education Facility. The 48,000 square foot facility houses hour indoor courts, coaches offices, and a viewing balcony for spectators. The addition to the tennis program also allows for the program to host NCAA Regionals and the conference tournament with ease.
As a collegiate tennis player, Brice competed for D-I UNC Wilmington and was named UNCW's Most Improved Player in 1990 before transferring to NCWU. Athletically, Brice's post-Wesleyan career has seen him compete as a professional and achieve an ATP ranking. Brice also spent several years as an owner and coach with Velocity Sports Performance. During his Velocity tenure, he gained valuable knowledge in training, as well as the proper mechanics involved in endurance, strength, speed, nutrition, and injury prevention.
A 1992 Wesleyan graduate with a degree in History, Brice has gone on to earn a Master of Divinity with Biblical Languages (2007) and a Master of Theology in Christian Ethics (2012) from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Currently, he is slated to complete his PhD in Christian Ethics in the summer of 2017. In addition to his coaching duties, he will continue to serve as an adjunct professor of Religious Studies at Wesleyan, as well as the Senior Pastor of Philadelphia Baptist Church in nearby Nashville.
A USTA P-1 Professional, Brice and his wife, April, have four children: Tanner, Chandler, Tyler, and Brody who is a current member of the tennis program.
