AMHERST, N.Y. - Richard Greco, Jr. has been appointed Head Men's and Women's Tennis Coach at Daemen College, Director of Athletics Traci Murphy announced today. Greco becomes the fifth head coach in program history, replacing Jesse Plote who stepped down after one season.

"We are excited for the future of Daemen Tennis with coach Richard Greco leading the way," said Murphy. "His passion for coaching the sport is palpable, and will serve him well as he transitions to this position. It was imperative for us to find someone who could make a long term commitment to both Daemen and Western New York in order to build this program, and I think we've found that in Richard."

A life-long resident of Amherst, Greco has built a strong reputation within the Western New York tennis community. He holds nearly 10 years of coaching experience at the high school level. Following a seven-year stint coaching both the boys' and girls' junior varsity teams at Amherst High School, Greco went on to serve as the girls' varsity coach at both Mt. St. Mary Academy and Depew High School. 

Greco also brings great ties to the local community following a 30-year career in the banking industry. He worked his way up the corporate ladder in that time, most recently serving as the regional branch sales manager for Lake Shores Saving Bank. 

"I would like to thank Traci Murphy for this opportunity," Greco said. "I am very excited to grow the tennis program at Daemen College, the premier Division II institution in Western New York. I look forward to sharing my passion, energy and enthusiasm with our exceptional student-athletes."

Greco will inherit a program that returns 12 student-athletes overall (six men, six women), including all-conference selections Ben Davis (Rochester, N.Y.) and Frida Rubio (San Diego, Calif.). Both the men's and women's teams qualified for the East Coast Conference Championships for the first time this past spring. 

Greco, who also serves as a patrolman with the Amherst Auxiliary Police, resides in Snyder with his wife and four children. His son, Sam Greco, will be a sophomore on the Daemen tennis team this season.