Gaston enters his fifth season as head coach for Mizzou Tennis in 2020-21. He served as an assistant coach during the 2015-2016 season, Mizzou's best campaign in more than a decade, before being elevated to associate head coach and eventually promoted to head coach for the 2016-17 season.
Mizzou’s win total has improved in each season with Gaston at the helm of the program, with the exception on the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 campaign. The Tigers have also ranked in the top-40 of the Oracle/ITA Division I Women’s Team Rankings in each of Gaston’s first three seasons as head coach. Mizzou has seen an increase in talent in its recruiting efforts since Gaston has taken over, as the Tigers have welcomed multiple top-100 recruits domestically, as well as numerous international recruits ranked in the ITF Junior Rankings.
The Tigers have achieved much success in the classroom as well under Gaston’s guidance, earning the highest team GPA (3.77) in program history over the fall 2019 semester. Mizzou has also earned the ITA All-Academic Team honor in each of Gaston’s three seasons at Mizzou. Individually, 14 Tigers have earned ITA Scholar-Athlete distinction and 23 have earned SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition since Gaston took over the Mizzou program.
In the 2019-20 season, Gaston helped guide Serena Nash and Gabrielle Goldin to a No. 58 ranking in the ITA Doubles Rankings, as the pair was able to record two ranked wins during the season. The pair boasted a 13-8 record and appeared to be on their way to an NCAA Tournament berth before the season was cut short. Juniors Ellie Wright and Marta Oliveira also shined for Mizzou in singles play in 2019-20, posting records of 14-9 and 12-6, respectively. Wright also recorded a ranked victory in singles play, defeating Virginia’s No. 78-ranked Sofia Munera at the Orlando Invite.
In Gaston’s third season (2018-19), Mizzou opened the season with a 10-1 mark and reached as high as No. 31 in the Oracle/ITA Division I Women’s Team Rankings, the highest team ranking in program history. Additionally, Mizzou collected its first conference player of the week honor since 2004 and freshman Lisa Fukutoku rose to as high as No. 60 in the ITA Singles Rankings.
With Gaston at the helm, Mizzou sent Amina Ismail and Bea Machado Santos to the 2017 NCAA Doubles Tournament, Mizzou's first duo to make the field since 2003. Ismail and Santos secured one of the 23 at-large bids after rising to No. 10 in the latest ITA National Rankings, the highest ranking for a Mizzou duo since 2003. Under Gaston's guidance, the Tigers secured 11 wins in 2016-17, including a pair of ranked victories over No. 33 Alabama and No. 17 Texas A&M. The Aggies were the highest ranked opponent Mizzou has beaten in program history.
The Rome, Ga., native landed his first collegiate coaching position at Furman University in 2014. He was the assistant coach for the men’s program and helped steer the Paladins to eight victories in their last 10 matches and reach to conference finals.
Prior to coaching collegiately, Gaston previously served as a High Performance Coach at Weil Tennis Academy in Ojai, Calif where he helped develop some of the top junior players in the world. He then shifted to Atlanta to continue working with top juniors where he helped numerous players achieve college scholarships. Gaston then made his mark at the professional level coaching as he served as an ATP/WTA traveling coach for two players who ranked in the top-100 world rankings.
Gaston played collegiately at LSU and was a four-year letterwinner, taking home Second Team All-SEC honors in 2006. He followed that by securing ITA Doubles All-American recognition in 2007 alongside partner Danny Bryan. The duo climbed as high No. 3 in the ITA Division I Doubles rankings and won the SEC Indoor Double Championship in 2007, defeating John Isner in the finals. Gaston played professionally as a member of the Dunlop ATP traveling squad. He eventually worked his way into the top-500 of the ATP Tour rankings.
