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By DEBI JONES
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 23, 2001
GAINESVILLE -- North Carolina coach Roland Thornqvist will be the next Florida women's tennis coach, athletic director Jeremy Foley said Friday. Thornqvist replaces Andy Brandi, who resigned May 29 after 17 years with the Gators.
"Ever since I started playing tennis, Florida tennis has been the program," Thornqvist said. "To have the opportunity to lead the Florida women's team is just really a dream come true. Andy Brandi built a program that is respected and envied across the nation. I am honored to be following in his footsteps."
Thornqvist, a 31-year-old native of Sweden, coached at Kansas for two years before going back to his alma mater for three years. All of his teams qualified for the NCAA Championships, putting together a 75-50 record.
"Roland has already proven himself as one of the nation's top young coaching talents," Foley said. "I believe that the drive for success that he has shown as a coach and player will keep the Florida women's tennis program among the nation's elite."
Brandi coached three national championship teams at UF. He will not step down officially until July 3. Thornqvist should arrive during the first week in July.
"Nobody has higher expectations than I do," Thornqvist said. "It's always been that way. I'm just excited to be coming down there, and I think we can do really, really good things. I think the University of Florida has always had the best players in the country, and when we go out to recruit -- which will be right away -- we will look for the same type of players."