FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University men's and women's tennis head coach Jakob Gustafsson has announced the recent appointment of Casey Wharton as the new assistant men's and women's tennis coach. He will share responsibility in all aspects of the Lancers' tennis programs, in addition to being directly responsible for player development. Wharton comes to Longwood from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, a NCAA Division III institution in Belton, Texas, where he worked as a volunteer assistant since 2009.

“I am very excited to have Casey join us and become a part of the Lancer family,” said Gustafsson, who is in his second year at the helm of the Lancers. “He brings a new energy to the program that will rub off on everyone he encounters. His desire to be on the court and develop our players to the peak of their abilities is second to none.”

At Mary Hardin-Baylor, Wharton played an active role in recruiting year round. He also helped plan and execute practices, and lead the team's strength and fitness activities. During his tenure, Wharton's men's and women's teams qualified into the American Southwest Conference Tournament on six occasions. In 2012, he helped coach the Division III ITA Southwest Regional Women's Singles champion, Brittni Fausett.  Previously, Wharton helped lead his team to the 2011 Women's NCAA Division III ASC West Division title match, and qualified a women's doubles pair into the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championships.

Wharton spends time each summer as a tennis camp instructor at Texas A&M University, where he logs up to 25 hours a week on the court training junior players to perform at a higher level. He holds a United States Professional Tennis Association certification, as well as the Pat Etchberry Tennis Strength and Fitness certification.

Wharton was a traveling member of the Mary Hardin-Baylor men's tennis team before becoming a volunteer assistant.  Since 2009, he has been active with the United State Tennis Association (USTA) of Texas as a 5.0 ranked player in both singles and doubles. The Groesbeck, Texas, native received a Bachelor of Arts in history from Mary Hardin-Baylor in 2009 before earning his Master's in history from Texas A&M – Central Texas in 2012.  Wharton's wife of five years, Andrea, played collegiate tennis at the University of Texas – Tyler.