Before becoming an assistant coach for Drake men's tennis, Ben Lott excelled on the court for the Bulldogs. A three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference honoree, Lott ascended as high as No. 30 in the ITA singles rankings. His strong play was vital in driving Drake to a No. 16 national ranking, the highest in program history.

Lott powered the Bulldogs to NCAA Tournament victories in 2013 and 2015, and his comeback victory as a freshman clinched a 4-3 decision over No. 14 Washington, the highest-ranked win in Drake history.

After graduating in 2016 with a degree in business management, Lott took his talents to Tulsa, where he was a volunteer assistant coach until 2019. He joined the Drake staff in the Fall of 2019 as an assistant coach, and he also serves as an Interim Residence Hall Coordinator.

"From the moment I graduated in 2016, I had a feeling that I had unfinished business with Drake," said Lott. "That feeling grew into a desire during the three years I was away, and I wanted to return and help the men's tennis team get back to the heights that were achieved during my playing career."

Lott, a native of Newcastle, England, provides first-hand advice for fellow overseas student-athletes. Eight of the nine Drake men's tennis student-athletes hail from outside the United States.

"I'm able to provide a real-life example," said Lott. "I can provide a very detailed insight into Drake and feed off my own experiences here to give student-athletes a more in-depth overview of Drake."

Whether it's from abroad like Lott or closer to home like Ankeny-native Ryli Smith, Drake touts a coaching roster with diverse experiences.

Smith, an assistant on the women's rowing staff, has an international understanding of her own, however. She studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain, in 2017 as she pursued a minor in Spanish. Smith graduated from Drake in December 2018 after earning her English degree in just two-and-a-half years.

In that span, Smith progressed from a walk-on to a member of the second varsity eight-plus boat that competed at the 2017 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships.

Following graduation, Smith began as a volunteer coach for the Bulldogs in January 2019. She quickly worked her way up the ladder, and she was hired full-time as an assistant coach in August of the same year. Smith is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Teaching from Drake.

"My inspiration to coach comes from two places: the student-athletes and the beauty of the sport," said Smith. "Interpersonal connections, a competitive drive to win and my love of the sport are major motivators for me."

Smith's deep appreciation for rowing is evidenced by the fact that she joined Drake's program despite having no prior rowing experience. Smith draws on this fact to connect with current student-athletes.

"Recruiting novice walk-ons from first-year summer orientations and school activities fairs is what I look forward to most," said Smith. "My ability to relate to their excitement of being in a racing shell on the Des Moines River for the first time creates a bond that cannot be diminished."

Tina DeAngelo, an assistant coach for the Bulldogs' softball team, also raves about the bonds she has formed through coaching at Drake.

"I have coached in many states and on many different teams," DeAngelo said. "But I have never been more proud than being able to come back and coach at my alma mater."

DeAngelo's ties to Drake run deep. As a star pitcher, she led Drake to two-straight MVC titles and contributed to the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance. DeAngelo was tabbed the MVC Tournament MVP in 1993 and 1994, and she earned All-MVC honors in 1994 and 1995.

After completing her degree in elementary education, DeAngelo embarked on her coaching career as an assistant pitching coach at Legacy High School in Colorado. DeAngelo then moved to Cheyenne, Wyo., where she worked as a pitching instructor for four years.

DeAngelo relocated to Iowa and joined Drake's staff in 2014 as a volunteer assistant. The next year, she was promoted to assistant coach. The decision to return to Des Moines was easy for DeAngelo and her husband, Jamey – who played quarterback for the Bulldogs from 1990 to 1994.

"We met while hurt in the training room in 1992 and dated through college," said DeAngelo. "We married in the summer of 1996 and now have five children. We were drawn back to the Des Moines area because of the strong job opportunities and great Midwest values we were raised on."

The couple's third son, appropriately named Drake, serves alongside his mother as a manager for the softball team.

Willie Cashmore's family also has deep roots at Drake. His wife, Kara, played volleyball at Drake, and his younger brother, Pat, played football.

Cashmore himself was a standout fullback for the blue and white from 2003 to 2007. He was a crucial cog in the Bulldogs' 2004 Pioneer Football League championship team, and he was named All-PFL First Team in 2006 after tying Drake's school record with 18 rushing touchdowns.

Cashmore graduated in 2007 with a degree in secondary education and minors in mathematics and business. He taught English in China for a year before returning to Iowa to become an assistant coach at Iowa Western in 2009, the school's inaugural season. Cashmore was instrumental in the Reivers' meteoric rise, and the school won the junior college national championship in 2012.

Cashmore joined the Drake staff in 2013 and worked his way to his current titles of co-defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator. It is the latest step for somebody who has had coaching aspirations since he was a kid.

"Both of my parents are gymnastics coaches," said Cashmore. "So I grew up seeing impactful coaches every day. Every coach I played for at Drake had a deep desire to develop all football players into being the best men we could be. I've always kept that at the forefront of how I coach."

Cashmore's philosophy is working. In addition to his other responsibilities, he serves as the defensive line coach. Under Cashmore's tutelage, defensive linemen Gavin Dineen, Erin Morgan, Jacob Hardy and Victor Jergens earned All-PFL honors this past season.

John Bloss works alongside Cashmore on the football staff. Before his coaching career, Bloss was a four-year starter at cornerback and helped Drake win PFL championships in 2011 and 2012.

Bloss took a similar path to coaching as Cashmore, spending a year working for nonprofits in Bulgaria and Haiti before returning to Drake to begin his coaching path.

"The people were the biggest factor," Bloss said. "I loved the people I worked with doing different things outside of Drake, but I quickly realized the people at Drake were different."

Bloss was hired as the cornerbacks back in 2016 before being promoted in January 2019 to defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator. Like many Drake alums coaching for their alma mater, Bloss' own experiences enable him to form special bonds with current student-athletes.

"I walked in their shoes," he said. "I ate at Hubbell, stayed up late studying at Cowles Library and lived in Stalnaker. Because of my experience, and how much I love and believe in Drake, I don't ever have to sell anything. I just share stories of my experience with recruits."

Bloss' ability to connect with student-athletes stems from his playing days when a Drake coach had a significant influence on him.

"Dominic Robinson showed me a different way of coaching," Bloss said. "He showed me you can be a coach that cares for his players more than he cares for himself. He had a huge impact on my life and put the bug in my head that coaching maybe something I could be good at."