Acklin joined the Tornado staff in the summer of 2020 following a three-year stint at rival Lees-McRae College.

Men's Tennis Year-by-Year Coaching Records

Athlete Honors - Men

• 3 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selections
• 6 Conference Carolinas Academic All-Conference honorees

Athlete Honors - Women

• 2 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selections
• 1 Conference Carolinas Academic All-Conference honoree

Men Year-by-Year Season Recaps

2022-23: The Tornado posted a 2-13 overall record, going 0-9 in Conference Carolinas matches. Alex Sodre, Andre Schiabel and Rhys Halcrow were selected College Sports Communicators Academic All-District. Sodre garnered Conference Carolinas Player of the Week honors in October 26.

2021-22: King went 4-12 overall, including a 1-9 mark in Conference Carolinas play. Rhys Halcrow was selected Conference Carolinas Player of the Week in the fall.

2020-21: The Tornado went 3-9 overall and 1-7 in Conference Carolinas matches. King was the eighth seed in the Conference Carolinas Men's Tennis Championship and fell to fifth seed Barton College in the opening round.

Women's Tennis Year-by-Year Coaching Records

Women Year-by-Year Season Recaps

2022-23: The Tornado finished the season with a 4-12 record, going 0-10 in Conference Carolinas play. Deniz Aytun and Mishka Koricinova were selected College Sports Communicators Academic All-District. Aytun garnered Conference Carolinas Player of the Week twice in the fall.

2021-22: King played shorthanded all year, but won two of their first three duals in the fall. The Tornado ended the season with a 3-13 overall record, going 1-10 in Conference Carolinas matches. Tornado were selected Conference Carolinas Player of the Week three times, Deniz Aytun twice and Mishka Korcinova once.

2020-21: The Tornado played shorthanded all year, dropping all 11 matches. However, Acklin started laying a solid foundation for the future of the program.

Prior to King

Acklin is no stranger to Conference Carolinas as he joins the Tornado staff after spending the last three seasons leading the Lees-McRae College tennis programs. In that time he led the women’s team to 25 wins while the men’s team improved from one win in his first season to eight before the 2019-20 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He guided both teams to Conference Carolinas Tournament berths for the first time in five years.

The retired Air Force officer has spent most of his life teaching tennis while serving. When he was 20, he was the assistant tennis pro at the Bristol Racquet and Fitness Club, giving private lessons and teaching at clinics. His teaching continued while on active duty as he served as the head coach at LAMP High School in Montgomery, Ala., leading them to their first-ever conference title. During that time he also taught high level junior athletes in the state of Alabama.

Acklin played tennis at Lees-McRae, winning conference titles in 1996 in No. 1 singles and doubles en route to earning MVP honors. He then returned to his alma mater in 2017 and began to resurrect the tennis programs.

Personal

He earned his Bachelor of Science in History and Political Science from Lees-McRae in 1996 before earning a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Phoenix in 2008. He also earned a Master of Operational Art and Science from Air Command and Staff College in 2013.