Ben Maxwell is entering his 13th season as the head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis programs. Overall, this is his 15th season on the coaching staff of the Eckerd tennis programs, entering the 2025-26 seasons.
In 2016, Maxwell led the men's tennis program to a record-setting season that saw the Tritons record 12 wins, including seven 9-0 sweeps. Since taking over in 2013, Maxwell has strengthened the depth of the men’s program, increasing Eckerd’s competitiveness in the Sunshine State Conference and producing All-Conference players including Will Stone and Matt Spasic.
In 2019, the men's team put together a seven-match winning streak. In a shortened 2020 season, his No. 1 doubles pair of Pakrut Patel and Pierre-Olivier Lassalle were a perfect 9-0 including upset wins over No. 5 Saint Leo and No. 10 Lynn.
In 2023, he guided Batu Ataseven and Esteve Augusti to First-Team All-SSC honors. The pair picked up wins against top-ranked teams, defeating the top pairings from No. 14 Embry-Riddle, No. 14 Lynn, and No. 3 Barry. The duo was ranked a season-best No. 44 in the ITA doubles rankings and were the first first-team All-SSC honorees since 2006.
In 2024, he led the women's team to the most wins in a season since 2006 with nine. Freshman Olivia Lindestaf posted a 14-5 singles record in the No. 2 slot, marking the most single season wins in the No. 2 slot. Kylie Misdorp (10) and Maya Soligo (11) also posted double-digit singles wins. On the men's side, he guided Batu Ataseven and Christian Kearns to a doubles win over No. 4 Barry, the reigning national champion.
In 2025, he led the women's team to it's first SSC wins since 2010 with a victory over Tampa. Sophomore Olivia Lindestaf was selected to the All-SSC First Team, Eckerd's first All-SSC player since 2006. She also entered the national rankings for singles action, coming in at No. 31. He guided men's team to its first national ranking since 2011, coming in at No. 35. The ranking is the lowest since 2006. Junior Batu Ataseven was tabbed to the All-SSC First Team, and was in the ITA singles National rankings. He was Eclerd's first first-team honoree since 2006.
His women's teams have had remarkable success in the classroom, winning the William J. Mathews Academic Excellence Award for seven consecutive academic years, from 2015-16 to 2021-22. This award is given each year to the Eckerd College Athletics team with the highest team GPA.
Assistant Men’s Women’s Tennis Coach - Eckerd College
Coordinator of Fitness and Wellness - Eckerd College
Maxwell has over 15 years of experience as a Head Racquet Technician for top level Junior and ATP Tour events, including the Eddie Herr International, the Boys 16’s/18’s National Clay Courts, The Sarasota Open and the annual ATP 250 tour stop in Delray Beach.
After serving as the assistant coach and interim head coach, Maxwell officially took over the reins of the men’s and women’s programs in the middle of December 2013. From 2011 to 2013, Maxwell also served as the Coordinator of Fitness and Wellness at Eckerd.
SSC Player of the Week - Pierre-Olivier Lassalle (2021), Olivia Lindestaf (2024)
All-SSC
- 2025
- Batu Ataseven (First Team Singles)
- Olivia Lindestaf (First Team Singles)
- 2023
- Batu Ataseven and Esteve Augusti (First Team Doubles)
- 2022
- Pierre-Olivier Lassalle (Second Team Singles)
- 2017
- Matt Spasic and Will Stone (Second Team Doubles)
Pierre-Olivier Lassalle became the first tennis player since 2006 to receive player of the week honors. He also became the first Triton since 2009 to receive all-conference honors as a singles player. Lassalle was also ranked a season-best No. 24 in the ITA Poll for singles.
Outside of Eckerd, Maxwell is an accomplished professional tennis instructor with many private clients. He also assists top Women's Tennis Association (WTA) player Danielle Collins, a St. Petersburg native, in various aspects of her training and player development.
As a player, Maxwell was a top-ranked Florida and National Junior. During his career as an anchor in the Tritons’ rotation, Maxwell was named the team's Most Valuable Player for the 2009-2010 season and served as a team captain all four years. He was ranked in the top 20 in the Nation in NCAA Division II doubles and in the top 30 in the South Region in NCAA Division II singles.
In addition to tennis, Maxwell is an avid freediver and spearfisherman. He consistently dives to depths of 50-80 feet and holds Level 1 and Level 2 certifications from Freediving Instructors International. He also attended their 10-day freediving camp in Kona, Hawaii, in 2013 where he was trained by some of the top professional freedivers in the world. Maxwell enjoys the sport due to its physical and mental demands as well as the primitive and sustainable nature of spearfishing.
Maxwell graduated from Eckerd College in 2011 with a degree in Writing. Maxwell grew up in Sarasota, Florida, but now resides in St. Pete Beach with his wife, Kim.
