Justin Kronauge

The 2017 ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year, Justin Kronauge has transferred his expertise as a collegiate player to the coaching realms. Hired in 2010 by his mentor, Ty Tucker, Kronauge has been a tremendous asset to the Buckeye program and subsequently was named associate head coach during the summer of 2013.

In his time on the coaching staff, the four-time Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year has helped guide the Buckeyes to over 350 victories. In 2011, the Scarlet and Gray posted a 34-3 overall mark in route to their sixth consecutive Big Ten Conference regular-season and tournament titles. The next year, Kronauge and the Buckeyes amassed a 34-4 record while following that with a 35-3 mark in 2013. The 2014 season saw Ohio State go 33-4, win the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles as well as the NCAA Indoor National Championship.

In 2015, the Buckeyes captured their 10th-straight Big Ten regular season title and notched their 200th-consecutive home victory. The 2016 campaign featured 33 victories, both the Big Ten regular and tournament titles and a trip to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Another 33-4 campaign in 2017 was highlighted by Big Ten Regular Season and Tournament titles as well as a trip to the NCAA Tournament semifinals. The 2018 season featured another dominating run through the Big Ten, winning both the regular season and tournament crowns and finishing with an overall record of 34-3. The postseason run was also one to remember as the Buckeyes advanced to the NCAA championship match for just the second time in the program’s history.

In 2019, Kronauge and the Buckeyes were ranked No. 1 for 13 consecutive weeks leading into the NCAA Tournament. The 32-3 record included a second ITA Indoor National Championship and Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.

In the shortened 2020 season, the Buckeyes started hot, winning four matches over top-10 ranked teams. That included a pair of wins over No. 1 ranked teams in Texas and USC, marking the first time in school history the team won twice over No. 1 ranked teams in the same season.

The 2020-21 season saw Kronauge and the Buckeyes claim a share of the Big Ten East Division title and make a run to the finals of the Big Tne Tournament. The Buckeyes also beat Wake Forest at Wake Forest in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the round of 16 for the 17th in program history.

The 2022 season was another dominant season for the program. The Buckeyes won their 16th consecutive regular season title and was a perfect 14-0 at home. After finishing runner-up at the Big Ten Tournament, OSU won three NCAA Tournament matches at home before knocking-off rival Michigan in the NCAA Quarterfinals. Cannon Kingsley was named the Big Ten Athlete of the Year and a record four Buckeyes earned All-America honors.

Kronauge has played a large role in a number of impressive runs at the NCAA singles and doubles championships, including a national title in 2012 and 2013 as well as a pair of singles runner-up finishes and a doubles runner-up finish in 2018 and 2022.

The Dayton, Ohio, native concluded his collegiate career at Ohio State during the spring of 2010 and earned his bachelor’s degree in finance that August after posting one of the most successful careers in Ohio State men’s tennis history.

A two-time All-American and the 2010 Midwest Region Farnsworth/ITA Senior Player of the Year, Kronauge concluded his historic Ohio State tennis career with multiple program records. He holds the record for most singles wins (147), most doubles wins (133) and his 280 combined victories were the ninth-most all- time of any collegiate tennis player at the time of his graduation. Furthermore, Kronauge, a three-time unanimous All-Big Ten recipient, was just the third Buckeye to have at least 100 singles and 100 doubles wins.

In recognition of his accomplishments both as a player and a coach, Kronauge was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in the fall of 2016.