Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Athletics

Jon Satkowski took over as the head coach of the Engineers men's tennis team in 2010-11 and the program has enjoyed unprecedented success under his leadership.

In his 11 seasons, RPI has gone 112-60 (.651), including at least 10 dual match victories six times - twice with a school record 16 wins - played in the Liberty League Tournament Final six times and qualified for the program's first NCAA Tournament bid, advancing to the Third Round in 2018.

A truncated 2021 campaign allowed for four regular season matches, which Rensselaer won each to earn the top seed in the Liberty League Tournament. The Engineers won a semifinals match before concluding the campaign with a 5-1 record. Graduate student Sebastian Castillo-Sanchez, who was selected to the NCAA Singles Tournament, garnered Player of the Year and ITA All-America recognition. He was joined by four teammates on All-Conference teams. Satkowski was picked as Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.

Though the 2019-20 season was cut short, it was memorable as Castillo-Sanchez earned ITA All-America in both singles and doubles - the first time in school history - while playing partner Andrew Imrie captured All-America in doubles. Castillo-Sanchez won the ITA Regional Championship in the fall to earn a spot in the ITA Cup. He was joined by Imrie for doubles and they both excelled on the national stage. The team was listed No. 34 in the final ITA Rankings.

The season before saw Rensselaer go 10-7 overall with eight opponents nationally-ranked and 7-1 in the Liberty League. The Engineers advanced to the conference's post-season tournament final, but fell short of defending their crown. 

The 2017-18 campaign saw the Engineers ranked No. 26 in the final ITA Rankings after they won their first Liberty League Tournament Championship and made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. RPI won a second round match in the national event, 5-0 over Stevens Institute of Technology, before falling at the eventual national runner-up, Bowdoin College, 5-1 in the third round. The squad finished with a school record-tying 16 wins (16-4), including a 7-1 conference mark.

The season before, the Engineers finished 10-8, winning nine of 16 in-region matches and seven of nine played at home. Castillo-Sanchez and Zack Ebenfeld won the ITA Regional Doubles Tournament to become the first National All-Americans in program history.

Rensselaer made its third straight appearance in the Liberty League Tournament Final in 2015-16 after stringing together eight wins in nine matches during the spring semester. RPI won eight consecutive matches on its way to going 14-4 in 2014-15, just a season after going 13-5 and advancing to its first league tournament championship match. In 2013-14, the fourth under Satkowski, two student-athletes earned All-Liberty League First Team and two others were First Team in doubles for the second straight season. 

The Engineers posted a school record 16 wins in 2012-13, advancing to the Liberty League semifinals for the second straight season. That spring featured seven 9-0 sweeps, including three straight over Liberty League opponents to end the regular season. 

In 2011-12, Satkowski guided his squad to a 9-9 record, which was two wins better than his initial campaign (7-9), highlighted by Jarrett Regier being named the Liberty League Rookie of the Year after going 13-1 at No. 1 singles.

A native of Salisbury Mills, N.Y., Satkowski spent the 2009-10 season as an assistant coach at Skidmore, where he provided on-court coaching helped plan and instruct during practices. He was the program’s primary recruiter, including live evaluations, tape reviews and database management of prospective student-athletes. Satkowski helped Skidmore into the NCAA Tournament in 2010.

From 2005-09, Satkowski was an undergraduate at St. Lawrence University, where he was a four-year standout in tennis . Posting a combined career record of 150-42, he was a two-time captain and a four-year All-Liberty League First Team selection in singles. The conference’s Rookie of the Year in 2005-06, he also garnered All-Conference First Team in doubles in each season. A four-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, he was an ITA Northeast Region Doubles finalist as a sophomore.

Satkowski graduated from St. Lawrence in May of 2009, earning his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

A director and volunteer with various organizations since 2004, Satkowski served as the head professional at MatchPoint Tennis in Chester, N.Y., from 2004 to 2009. In that role, he taught private lessons and group clinics to children and adults of all skill levels. Satkowski, who also worked as a tutor at the Canton Central School District for two years, served as the director of the Town of Cornwall Tennis Camp from 2005-07, conducting weekly camp sessions with students from six to 16 years of age.

He and his wife Heather reside in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., with their daughter Harper and son Griffin.