{"id":853081,"date":"2026-08-10T15:08:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T15:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/853081\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T15:08:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T15:08:09","slug":"ashworth-announces-hiring-of-gabriel-cucalon-as-assistant-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/853081\/","title":{"rendered":"Ashworth Announces Hiring of Gabriel Cucalon as Assistant Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

DURHAM, N.C. \u2013 Duke women’s tennis head coach Jamie Ashworth announced Monday the hiring of Gabriel Cucalon as assistant coach.

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\nCucalon joins the Blue Devil program after serving as a graduate assistant with the North Carolina Central University (NCCU) men’s and women’s tennis programs since August 2022.\u00a0

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\n“I’m extremely grateful and excited to begin this new chapter with Duke women’s tennis,” said Cucalon. “The opportunity to join a program with such a strong tradition of excellence, both on and off the court, is truly an honor. I’m excited to learn, contribute and work alongside an incredible coaching staff while helping our student-athletes reach their goals and continue building on the success of this program. I’m looking forward to giving everything I have to Duke and becoming part of the Blue Devil family.”

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\nA four-year letterwinner at North Carolina Central with the men’s tennis program, Cucalon registered 58 wins and set the NCCU record with 46 dual match victories.\u00a0 He was tabbed the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year in 2018-19.\u00a0 Cucalon won the HBCU National Championship in 2015 (Singles Flight B), 2016 and 2018 (Singles Flight A) and 2017 (Doubles Flight A).\u00a0 Cucalon served as team captain in 2018-19 and co-captain in 2017-18.\u00a0

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\n“We are extremely excited that Gabriel has decided to join our coaching staff here at Duke,” said Ashworth.\u00a0 “He brings a tremendous amount of energy to the court and there is no doubt in my mind that the young women he will work with will benefit greatly from him.\u00a0 On and off the court, Gabriel will make an impact on what we do and will definitely help shape the future of Duke women’s tennis.”

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\nIn the fall of 2026, Cucalon will be inducted into the NCCU Athletic Hall of Fame.\u00a0

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\nCucalon has represented Ecuador in more than 100 international tennis matches across South America and the United States.\u00a0 He competed in the Junior Davis Cup and was selected as one of the country’s top three players.\u00a0 Cucalon was the No. 1 junior player in Ecuador for the U-16 and U-18 age groups.\u00a0

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\nA 2019 graduate of North Carolina Central, Cucalon went on to receive a Master of Business Administration in 2021, a Master of Athletic Administration in 2024 and Master of Science and a Master of Science, Computer Information Sciences in 2026 from NCCU.\u00a0

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\n#GoDuke

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