Michael Cabana returned as the Wingate men's and women's tennis head coach in August of 2024. Cabana coached at Wingate for 16 seasons, piling up 16 SAC Coach of the Year trophies and 30 conference titles. The three-time Region Coach of the Year was named the ITA women's tennis National Coach of the Year in 2019.
"I want to thank Joe Reich and President
Dr. Rhett Brown for making my second run at Wingate possible," Cabana says. "I am very excited to be back at Wingate to lead the men's and women's programs again. Wingate holds a special place in my heart and my heart is full knowing I will be back at the helm of both these exceptional programs. I want to thank my family for their continued support during this process and throughout my coaching career."
Cabana went to Queens University in Charlotte in 2022, where he led the Royals to 17 victories in their first two years as an NCAA Division I program.
"We are really excited to have Coach Cabana coming back to Wingate," Director of Athletics Joe Reich says. "His record speaks for itself. We could not have had any better resolution to this situation than his return."
Cabana transformed both Wingate teams into the dominant squads in the South Atlantic Conference, while also turning the Bulldogs into consistent regional and national powers during his 16-year WU career. He went 230-111 overall on the men's side with a 124-21 SAC record, while going 243-99 on the women's side with a 130-17 mark in league play. Overall during his 16 seasons, Cabana piled up 473 victories, while going 254-38 in league play.
Cabana has earned SAC Coach of the Year on the women's side nine times, while earning the honor on the men's side on seven occasions. He was named the ITA Southeast Region women's tennis Coach of the Year in 2016, while taking home the men's and women's Region Coach of the Year awards in 2019. He was also named the women's National Coach of the Year in 2019, leading the Bulldogs to 21-2 overall record and the top seed in the NCAA Southeast Regional.
During his final 12 seasons on the women's side, Cabana guided the Bulldogs to an overall record of 206-51, while going 105-3 in league matches to win 11 regular season titles to go along with six SAC tourney championships. WU went undefeated in league play in 10 of those 12 seasons, going on a conference-record 76-match SAC winning streak. The 'Dogs earned regional hosting duties for the first time in program history in 2018, while earning hosting duties again in 2019. The Wingate women earned an NCAA Tourney bid in nine of Cabana's final 11 seasons. A constant in the ITA national rankings throughout Cabana's tenure, the Bulldogs were ranked as high as #10 in 2019.
Cabana inherited a men's team that collected just three SAC wins during his first two seasons. After that, the 'Dogs would go 121-11 in league play over his final 14 seasons, collecting nine regular season SAC titles and five SAC Tourney championships during that time. The Bulldogs earned an NCAA Tournament bid in eight of Cabana's final 12 seasons. Also a fixture in the ITA national rankings, the Bulldogs climbed to as high as #4 in 2020.
Cabana had the Bulldogs earn ITA All-American accolades for the first time as a D2 program in 2019, with
Michaela Verpelli earning singles honors on the women's side while the doubles duo of
Daniel Belsito and
Josep Canyadell collected doubles recognition. Belsito and Canyadell repeated as ITA All-Americans on the doubles side in 2020, while Belsito added singles accolades. The women's duo of
Camilla Ciaccia and
Suzuka Ssambyakugari collected doubles All-American honors in 2022.
Cabana has also brought elite student-athletes through the Wingate tennis programs during his time, with the 'Dogs collecting nine SAC Scholar-Athlete trophies during his tenure. That includes two-time winners
Kelli Ferguson for the women and Belsito on the men's side. The Bulldogs had 10 Academic All-America honorees during his time at Wingate, including two-time selections Belsito and
Sydney Homan. In addition, Homan won the prestigious national ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship award.
Cabana became the first full-time tennis coach in WU history in 2006. Prior to his arrival at Wingate, Cabana served as the head tennis professional at The Tournament Players Club Piper Glen. He also spent two years as the head boys and girls tennis coach at Weddington High School.
Cabana was a four-year letterman for the Catawba College tennis team. He is a 2001 graduate of Catawba with a B.S. degree in Business Administration. In December 2008, Cabana earned a Master of Arts in Education in Sport Administration degree from Wingate University. Cabana is a member of the Catawba College Sports Hall of Fame.
Both Wingate teams have continued to have success during Cabana's two years absence. The men have gone 24-0 in league play, winning a pair of SAC regular season and tourney titles over the last two years, while going 39-9 overall. Wingate was ranked #10 in the final ITA poll of 2024. The women have gone 23-1 in league play, capturing two regular season SAC titles and a tournament championship the last two years, while going 41-7 overall. The Bulldogs advanced to the national quarterfinals for the first time in program history in 2024.
Michael Cabana Year-by-Year record at Wingate (Men)
| Year |
Overall Record |
SAC Record |
| 2006-07 |
4-16 |
0-6 |
| 2007-08 |
8-13 |
3-4 |
| 2008-09 |
12-6 |
8-0 |
| 2009-10 |
14-5 |
7-1 |
| 2010-11 |
17-4 |
9-0 |
| 2011-12 |
19-7 |
9-0 |
| 2012-13 |
16-11 |
7-2 |
| 2013-14 |
18-8 |
11-0 |
| 2014-15 |
15-6 |
10-1 |
| 2015-16 |
17-5 |
10-1 |
| 2016-17 |
17-5 |
10-1 |
| 2017-18 |
20-6 |
9-1 |
| 2018-19 |
20-5 |
9-1 |
| 2019-20 |
7-2 |
3-0 |
| 2020-21 |
13-3 |
10-0 |
| 2021-22 |
13-9 |
9-3 |
| All-Time |
Overall |
SAC |
| 16 years |
230-111 |
124-21 |
Michael Cabana Year-by-Year Record at Wingate (Women)
| Year |
Overall Record |
SAC Record |
| 2006-07 |
3-18 |
1-6 |
| 2007-08 |
9-15 |
3-4 |
| 2008-09 |
12-8 |
6-2 |
| 2009-10 |
13-7 |
6-2 |
| 2010-11 |
21-2 |
9-0 |
| 2011-12 |
18-5 |
8-1 |
| 2012-13 |
19-6 |
9-0 |
| 2013-14 |
19-6 |
11-0 |
| 2014-15 |
16-5 |
11-0 |
| 2015-16 |
16-6 |
11-0 |
| 2016-17 |
17-4 |
11-0 |
| 2017-18 |
21-5 |
10-0 |
| 2018-19 |
21-2 |
9-1 |
| 2019-20 |
6-0 |
3-0 |
| 2020-21 |
16-2 |
11-0 |
| 2021-22 |
16-8 |
11-1 |
| All-Time |
Overall |
SAC |
| 14 years |
243-99 |
130-17 |
