Huskers Add Sanchez-Canamares as Assistant Coach

Huskers Add Sanchez-Cañamares as Assistant Coach 

 

Lincoln, Neb. – The Nebraska women's tennis program has added Jaime Sanchez-Cañamares Rios as an assistant coach, Head coach Scott Jacobson announced on Monday, Aug. 27.

 

Prior to joining the Husker coaching staff, Sanchez-Cañamares worked as an assistant coach at Florida State for the 2017-18 season. In the spring of 2017, he served as a volunteer assistant at Oklahoma State.

 

“I would like to thank Scott Jacobson and Keith Zimmer for the opportunity to be part of this incredible institution," said Sanchez-Cañamares. "From the very first moment, Nebraska felt like home and that is special to my family and I. I’m extremely thrilled and humbled to start this journey with Coach Jacobson and I can’t wait to hit the ground running as we aim to take Nebraska women’s tennis to new heights. It’s great to be a Husker!”

 

Last year, Sanchez-Cañamares helped Florida State to a 21-9 record, the program’s best win total since 1999. The team advanced all the way to the NCAA Elite Eight before falling to No. 2 seed Vanderbilt. FSU’s appearance in the Elite Eight marked the first time in school history the team advanced past the Sweet 16. He helped guide the Seminoles to a No. 16 ITA/No. 11 UTSA ranking and the team defeated Florida twice in a season for the first time in program history.

 

"I feel incredibly grateful to have found someone of Jaime’s caliber to join our Husker family," Jacobson said.  "He is a rising star in the world of college coaching and has tremendous passion for the game. Jaime is going to have a positive and powerful impact on the future of Nebraska’s program. In addition, he is genuine and caring in nature and will be incredibly supportive of our student-athletes."

 

He served as a volunteer assistant coach with the Oklahoma State women’s tennis team from January to August 2017. During his time with the Cowgirls, he coached Viktoriya Lushkova to a program record No. 7 national ranking. He helped the team to a No. 9 ITA ranking and a Big 12 Conference championship on the way to a 22-5 record in his lone season in Stillwater. The team advanced to the 2017 NCAA Elite Eight before falling to Florida to end the season.

 

Sanchez-Cañamares had an extremely successful collegiate playing career at Fresno Pacific, Oklahoma Christian and Embry-Riddle, posting a 70-14 mark in singles and a 70-24 doubles record on the way to four ITA/NAIA All-America honors, as well as the 2014 ITA/NAIA doubles championship and the 2014 Super Bowl men’s doubles championship. He helped Fresno Pacific and Oklahoma Christian to NAIA titles in 2011 and 2012, respectively. He led Embry-Riddle to national runner-up performances in 2014 and 2015.

 

After college, Sanchez-Cañamares worked as an elite coach for Saviano High Performance Tennis. He was a private developmental coach for some professional players and top junior players in Florida, the United States and the world. He coached several top-ranked WTA players, including Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, and Eugenie Bouchard, a former top five WTA player. He also worked with the American rising star Amanda Anisimova.

 

Sanchez-Cañamares also worked at tennis clubs in Spain, New Jersey and Connecticut during the summers between his collegiate seasons. He served as the director of the performance academy at La Manga Club in Spain, where he coached and developed junior players, including the 2018 Wimbledon Junior Championships runner-up Jack Draper. 

 

Sanchez-Cañamares graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida in 2015. He earned a degree in business administration, specializing in accounting and finance. Originally from Albacete, Spain, he graduated summa cum laude while finishing with a perfect 4.0 GPA. He is joined in Lincoln by his wife, Veronica, and daughter, Emily.