MARSHALL, Minn. - Southwest Minnesota State University Director of Athletics Chris Hmielewski announced today that Charlie Kost has been named the new head women's tennis coach at SMSU.  Kost takes over for George Seldat, who announced his retirement on Wednesday after 16 seasons as head coach. 

Kost comes to SMSU after having spent the past eight seasons (2002-10) as the head girls' tennis coach at Marshall High School.  He will continue to serve as the director of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Center at SMSU.

“SMSU is a great environment for student-athletes to excel in the classroom and on the court,” Kost said.  “I'm looking forward to the opportunity to help the women build on the Mustang tradition as they work to become better students and better tennis players.”

This will be Kost's second time serving as the head coach at SMSU.  He was named head coach on June 24, 1992, and coached one season (1993), leading the Mustangs to a 5-4 overall record, including a second place finish in the NSIC with a record of 4-1.  Prior to taking over as head coach, Kost spent two seasons (1990-92) as an assistant coach at SMSU under head coach Hugh Curtler. 

“I am confident that Charlie will continue to build on the tradition and success that have been established by former head coaches such as Hugh Curtler and George Seldat,” Hmielewski said.  “We are fortunate to have two employee's at SMSU that have a great knowledge and passion for the sport of tennis.  Charlie's tennis background and ability to teach the game of tennis will be an asset to the Mustang tennis program and our student-athletes.  He will focus on creating a well-rounded student-athlete experience beginning with recruiting tennis players with strong academic and tennis backgrounds.”

Kost is a 1976 graduate of St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn., where he was a member of the men's tennis program.

SMSU finished the 2010 season 9-11 overall and finished seventh in the NSIC with a record of 4-6.