FARGO — The Youngs family is back on the Fargo-Moorhead tennis coaching scene. David Youngs was named head men's tennis coach at Concordia College, the school's athletic director Rachel Bergeson announced Friday, July 12. The 26-year-old Youngs is a Concordia graduate and was a volunteer assistant for the program this past season.
He's also the son of former longtime Fargo South coach Vic Youngs. “It runs in the family," David said with a laugh. "I couldn’t get away from it.
” Vic retired as South's head coach in 2019, but David said Vic is going to be his top assistant coach at Concordia. Vic is in the North Dakota Tennis Hall of Fame. David was an assistant coach for his father from 2017-2019 at South.
“The roles are reversed," David said. “My dad is the biggest person that I look up to, he’s my hero, an incredible father.” David graduated from Concordia in 2020 and worked in a variety of capacities, including an admissions counselor at Gustavus Adolphus College.
Since he graduated college, he's been a tennis instructor at various stops including the Edina (Minn.) Country Club. "As a former (Cobbers) student-athlete, he has a deep understanding of the Concordia experience we want to provide," said Concordia athletic director Rachel Bergeson.
David played tennis at Concordia from 2017-2020 and helped the team earn a spot in the 2018 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs. He had 19 singles wins and 25 in doubles during his three years in the Concordia program. “I was excited about the opportunity," said David, who takes over for Nate Young who recently resigned to pursue a business career.
David was a member of the 2015 South team that won a North Dakota boys state team tennis championship, ending Grand Forks Red River's longtime stronghold. He was also an assistant for two more South state team crowns in 2017 and 2019. “Tennis is an individual sport, but when it gets into a team setting it’s a special thing," David said.
David added he has strong bonds with his teammates on the 2015 state championship team. “We’ve become lifelong friends because of this beautiful sport," David said. David said he likes the roster he's inheriting from Nate Young that includes a number of players from Minnesota and North Dakota.
“When I think about this position and the guys we have on our team, we have some excellent players on this team," David said. “I think recruiting is going to be my greatest challenge and greatest strength in that Concordia is a great institution.”.
