Gabriel Hurtado returned to Wilmington as an assistant coach in Jan. 2025. He had a decorated career as a member of the UNCW men's tennis program from 2021-24. Hurtado is one of two players in program history to win four Coastal Athletic Association championships. In 2023 and 2024, Hurtado was named an all-conference singles selection. Hurtado was also the team captain from Fall 2022 to Spring 2024.
After graduating from UNCW, Hurtado started playing professionally in May 2024 on the ITF Futures Tour. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in exercise science with a concentration in physiology. He is currently completing his Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration.
“We are very excited to have Gabriel Hurtado returning to the Seahawk Tennis Family. He was an exceptional player who made history here with us, but has also always been an exceptional leader. He will be a huge asset in helping us with player development, tennis-specific fitness and recruiting. I am most excited that it will give our student-athletes another excellent resource to help them as players, students and people. The team knows Gabe as a high-character individual with a phenomenal work ethic. We have very high aspirations for our programs, and Gabe will be a huge asset in helping us reach those goals.”
During the 2025 season, Hurtado helped guide the Seahawks to their fifth straight and 11th CAA overall championship in his first season as an assistant coach. Hurtado helped coach Harold Huens, who repeated as CAA Player of the Year in singles for the second straight season.
He also coached senior Sam Nicholson, who collected CAA first-team honors for singles, Joseph Wayand, who earned CAA second-team honors in singles, and Lukas Steffen, who was named a third-team selection. On the doubles side, Wayand and Jordi Domenech collected CAA first-team honors in doubles, while Huens and Steffen earned a third-team nod.
