FALMOUTH, Maine -- Bates College men's and women's tennis head coach, Paul Gastonguay '89, along with seven other honorees, will be inducted into the Maine Tennis Hall of Fame this Saturday, April 22 at The Woodlands Club in Falmouth.

One of the most respected coaches in college tennis, and the leader of men's and women's programs that perennially rank among the best in Division III, Gastonguay will join other state tennis greats Eric Blakeman, Anita Murphy and Brian Patterson (representing the Class of 2020), as well the late Bill Kayatta Sr., Devi Maganti, Brian Mavor, and Glen Mayberry (representing the Class of 2019).

Formal ceremonies were not held in those years due to COVID. More individuals will be honored in coming years, but organization spokespersons said that the upcoming banquet will be a "catch-up" event.

"I am so grateful to be selected to the Maine Tennis Association Hall of Fame," said Gastonguay. "There are countless legends in the state of Maine that I looked up to as a young athlete, and to be included with them now is incredibly humbling.  I am most grateful to my parents, Jean and Mercedes, who introduced me to the sport and supported me throughout my career.  My dad taught me all the fundamentals and both my parents instilled their work ethic in me and helped me to always strive to compete and be the best I could be every time I stepped on the court."

"I especially want to thank my wife, Leslie, and daughters, Caroline & Charlotte, who have always been there for me ...  congratulations to all of the inductees!" 

An All-America player at Bates, Gastonguay was the winningest player in Bates history, compiling a 149-41 record. He earned the second All-America selection in program history, following in the footsteps of mentor, Bud Schultz '81. A finalist for the NCAA's prestigious Arthur Ashe Award as a senior, Gastonguay competed professionally in International Tennis Federation Satellite, Challenger and ATP Tour events. He even served as a training partner to all-time great, Ivan Lendl, in the early '90's. 

Gastonguay became the head tennis coach at his alma mater in 1996, and received NESCAC Men's Tennis Coach of Year honors in 2001. He earned NESCAC Women's Tennis Coach of the Year in 2003. Gastonguay book-ended those accolades with his selection as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division III Northeast Region Men's Coach of the Year in 2002.

"Making the move from playing to coaching was natural because both my parents were amazing teachers, so coaching was in my blood," said Gastonguay. "My coach at Lewiston High School, Rene Chicoine, made competing for the State Championship a blast. George Wigton, then-head coach at Bates, inspired me to find my best and gave me an opportunity of a lifetime to attend Bates College and compete at the highest levels of Division III tennis.  Bud Schultz was an invaluable resource and coach and helped me realize my dream of playing professional tennis.  For the last 26 years as head coach at Bates, I have been blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing colleagues and athletes.  I am grateful that I have been able to share my passion and experience with hundreds of amazing student-athletes throughout my career as a Bobcat." 

Under Gastonguay's tutelage, the men's program at Bates qualified for the NCAA Championships for seven straight years beginning in 2000. In 2006, Gastonguay's top singles player to date, Will Boe-Wiegaard '06, won the NCAA Division III Men's Singles Championship, despite being unseeded.

In 2010, Gastonguay led Bates women's tennis to a 10-6 record in dual play, the team's first season with double-digit wins since 1987. In 2012, the Bates' doubles tandem of Meg Anderson and Elena Mandzhukova played in the NCAA Division III Women's Doubles Championship, becoming the first Bobcat women to play at the NCAA Championship level.

Now a two-time hall of famer, Paul was inducted into the Auburn-Lewiston Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.