As sports go, tennis and rowing are about as similar as apples and oranges. Still, Sac State men?s tennis coach Chris Evers, and women?s rowing coach Bill Zack are more similar than they may realize.

Both men have coached their teams to championship seasons this year, earning them Coach of the Year honors. Both men appreciate the award, but insist that coaching has very little to do with it.

“It?s my players,” said Evers about the award?s significance. “I appreciate it because it?s something the coaches vote on, but more than anything, it?s a reflection on the guys and their hard work.”

Hard work is not a new concept for Evers, who won the award for the fourth consecutive time. He played on the Sac State tennis team for two years prior to taking over the head coaching reins seven years ago.

“I went through quite a few growing pains with this program when I first got here,” Evers said. “But now, it?s much more stable and I have many more resources.”

The team used to have to drive to all of its tournaments when Evers played. Now, they fly, which he says allows his players to be more rested and thus more competitive. Improving on this season?s 20-2 record may be hard to do, but Evers learns something new every year. Evers says that right now he is just trying to keep the ship going in the right direction.

“Each team is different,” he said. “Some years I may have to give them a little more direction. This year, I had a veteran team that was focused from the very start on what they had to do. All we?re trying to do now is keep getting better.”

For Zack, his second consecutive Coach of the Year award is, “nice,” if not misplaced.

“I coach the same way every single year,” Zack said. “So if I?m getting this kind of recognition, it means that the women have done a good job on the water. I just wish there was a way to break up the award into little pieces and give some of it to each of them.”

There may not be a way to split the award with his team, but after winning their second consecutive Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) title this season, Zack says the team accomplished one of their top goals.

“This one may mean more than last year, because we really weren?t going that well up until the Regatta,” Zack said. “But anytime you define success solely on wins and losses, you are setting yourself up for a tough situation.”

Zack believes it is very important that the team is a good bunch that works hard and enjoys competing.

Like Evers, Zack contends his success is more his players? doing than his own.

“I can teach the technical part of rowing. I can show them the way things work physiologically, but I can?t be the one to make them want to go fast or work hard,” he said. “That?s in the value system that the women themselves already have.”

That value system has translated into more than just wins on the water. All members on the team have GPA?s over 3.0. Eight out of nine members on the varsity eight, are eligible for National Scholar Athlete award honors. One cannot receive the award because she is a freshman.

As for the future, Zack is much like Evers in that he prefers to concentrate more on keeping the team where they are. From here, he wants to improve slowly rather than make drastic moves in the hopes of becoming a powerhouse overnight.

“In lots of ways, it?s easier to get to the top than it is to stay there once you make it,” Zack said.