Andrew James “AJ” Nelson begins his sixth year with the Columbia women's tennis program and his fifth as the program's Assistant Coach since beginning his current role in 2018.
Last year in 2021-22, Columbia played through one of the program’s most difficult schedules and ended up earning a No. 55 national ranking. The Lions finished 13-11 overall and 3-4 in the Ivy League, while Akanksha Bhan and Anna Zhang both were named to the All-Ivy League Second Team.
In 2019-20, Columbia’s season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the Lions enjoyed a successful season as they ascended to their highest-ever ITA national ranking in school history at No. 21 on February 25, 2020. Columbia closed out its season with a nine-match win streak, including three straight wins over Brown, Harvard, and Yale to claim their second straight ECAC Championship. In the end, the Lions finished 11-2 overall. Jennifer Kerr and Akanksha Bhan both earned singles national individual rankings during the season.
In his first year as an assistant coach at Columbia in 2018-19, Nelson helped guide the Lions to a 15-4 overall record, 4-3 Ivy League record, an ECAC Championship and final No. 42 national ranking by the ITA, its third-highest final ranking in school history. Columbia’s 15 wins on the year ranked as the second-most in school history and the Lions barely missed out on an NCAA Tournament berth. Earlier in the season, the Lions set a school-record with 12 consecutive dual match victories from Jan 25-April 6.
For the 2017-18 season, Nelson served as a volunteer assistant with Head Coach Ilene Weintraub and the women’s tennis program at Columbia. He helped lead the Lions to a 12-8 overall record as well as a 4-3 record in Ivy League competition. He worked primarily on player development and played a pivotal role in on-court coaching during matches.
Prior to his tenure at Columbia, Nelson spent six years as a teaching professional and Director of Junior Tennis at The Meadow Club in Southampton, N.Y. (2011-17). As part of his many duties, he organized junior and adult interclub matches, served as co-Director of club tournaments while organizing formats and interacting with management. He also taught private and group lessons and clinics for players ages 4-16 and adults.
He recently served as the Tournament Director at the Aspen Racquet Club in Wooster, Ohio in 2017-18 and as the Associate Director of the Wilson Collegiate Tennis Camps for the last nine years.
Nelson’s resume also includes a year as the Men’s and Women’s Assistant Tennis Coach at Colgate University from 2013-14. Additionally, he has served on the men’s and women’s coaching staff at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte for one year from 2012-13 and as a tennis professional at the Peninsula Club in Cornelius, N.C. At Charlotte, he coached seven Atlantic-10 All-Conference selections, helped lead the men’s team to a third-place finish at the conference tournament and helped the women’s team sign a top-25 Mid-Major ranked recruiting class.
A 2011 graduate of the University of Richmond, Nelson earned a Bachelor of Science degree as a double major in Environmental Studies and Geography and the Environment. Originally from Ohio, he played his collegiate tennis at Richmond where was a two-year team captain.
Nelson grew up in a tennis family as his father served as Director of Tennis at his hometown club. His sister is the head women’s tennis coach at Denison University in Ohio and seven of his cousins competed at the collegiate level. Nelson and his wife Chelsea reside in Manhattan.
