Charlotte Latin School has selected Colin Imwalle to lead the boys' and girls' tennis programs as the varsity head coach. Imwalle succeeds Dale Hall, who retired at the conclusion of the girls' 2023 season after 12 years with the Hawks in which she earned four CISAA conference championships and three NCISAA state championships.
 
Imwalle joined the CLS community in the fall of 2022 as an Upper School social studies teacher and head coach of the middle school girls' and boys' tennis teams. Before moving to Charlotte, he spent eight years teaching and coaching the girls' and boys' tennis teams at Northwestern Jr./Sr. High School in Springfield, Ohio, where his teams achieved six conference championships.
 
According to Athletic Director David Gatoux, Imwalle is a perfect fit. "With his past varsity head coaching experience and as a member of Coach Hall's staff for the past two years, we are thrilled to name Colin Imwalle as the next head of the Hawks tennis program. His developmental approach not only aligns with our departmental objectives but will also build on the strong foundation of coaching to which Charlotte Latin tennis players have grown accustomed," Gatoux said.  
 
As a child, Imwalle was encouraged by his parents to try a lot of different activities. He played soccer, ran track, and loved basketball, but summers spent hitting tennis balls with his brother at a neighborhood park introduced him to what would become his primary sport. He asked to take lessons and progressed quickly to year-round tennis, picking up a job at an indoor tennis center and garnering collegiate interest. Ultimately, Imwalle chose to forego the tennis offers and attended the University of Dayton, where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in education before starting his teaching and coaching career at Northwestern.
 
"I have always felt that tennis is the perfect opportunity to teach and learn some of life's great lessons," said Imwalle. "There is a direct correlation between an individual athlete's effort and their improvement. Helping a person learn the value of their hard work and then seeing them understand that this skill transcends tennis might be my favorite part of coaching."
 
The spring season officially begins February 12 for the boys' team, but work is already underway for Imwalle. "What excites me most about leading the varsity boys this spring is the opportunity to develop a team culture and to compete against some of the best teams in the state," he said. "In high school tennis, individual athletes are able to come together to compete for a collective goal and the team scoring system allows for major contributions from all players. The shared investment in the outcome and shared experiences creates a powerful relationship dynamic among members of a team."
 
In addition to teaching and coaching, Imwalle is in the midst of planning a wedding. He and his fiancé, Luci, are engaged to be married on May 25^th, just one week after the NCISAA spring championships.