MIDWAY, Ky. - The global reach of Roscoe Moonieyan was felt at Midway before he even became the school's men's and women's tennis coach.

Moonieyan, who was hired to lead the Eagles in June, brings a long history of winning at the collegiate ranks, particularly at the NAIA level.

While he's been the head coach at three different programs, Moonieyan's greatest success came in his nine season at Union College, where he set school win records on both the men's (83) and women's (72) side, while coaching nine players to a combined 12 All-American finishes.

In his final two season, the Bulldog men reached the semifinals of the NAIA National Championships, while the women reached the second round his last three years. This culminated with the men's team ending 2022 ranked No. 6 in the country, while the women finished at No. 13.

Outside the college ranks, he's also coached at a multitude of institutions all over the world, including Tenacity Academy, a club he founded in South Africa.

But it was at an American event in 2023 where he, unknowingly, made his first Midway connection. While working at the Windridge Tennis and Sports Camp in Roxbury, Vt., Moonieyan coached Ali Mirabal, the brother of Midway junior and team captain Manuel Mirabal.

"It was like a bridge for me," said Mirabal, who admits there was some initial unease following the coaching change. "As soon as I knew we were going to be in good hands, I started to spread the word to the players (and) everybody was calmed."

Moonieyan says his message has been well-received throughout his first preseason, which helped make initial bumps in the road easier to navigate.

"I've got so many leaders and so many players that are willing to buy in," he said. "That side of things has made it a little bit less challenging."

And now, with the spring season on the cusp of starting, the Eagles will try to get a hurdle they've been unable to clear for many years now.

In each of the last three seasons, both the Midway men and women have reached the championship round of the River States Conference Tournament, and each time they've been defeated by Oakland City.

On the men's side, a strong freshman class will pair with a veteran core that returns four players that had double-digit wins between singles and doubles in 2025. That group consists of Ferran Clapes Ballart (12), Mirabal (11), Aleksey Granitsa (11) and Izan Casado (10).

Retention was a bit lower on the women's side, as just one lineup regular returns. That returner is junior Tanit Cevada Cruz, who accumulated a record of 21-10 across singles and doubles play and was selected as a Second-Team All-River States Conference player last spring. 

While focusing on building a consistent winner "within the next two to five years," Moonieyan added "I think we'll have a pretty good season" in 2026, with players eager to take the next step after the near-misses of recent seasons.

"We know what our goal is, which is to win conference," said Mirabal, who believes this is the strongest team he's played on at Midway. "We're aiming to perform at the highest level."

Added Cevada-Cruz: "We are going to do something great with (Moonieyan). We want to go to national and he has the same goals as us."

Midway begins the new season in Crestview Hills, Ky. on Friday, when it takes on Thomas More. Women's play begins at 1 p.m. with men's set to start at 4.