In 22 seasons, Coach Settles has established the CMS Stags Tennis program as one of the elite at all levels of collegiate tennis. In 2026, Settles led the Stags to the NCAA Division III Championship match, while extending the Stags' conference win streak to 176 matches over a 20-year span. Settles has now guided the Stags to the NCAA Division III Team Championship final in seven of the past twelve seasons. CMS earned its first NCAA title in any sport in 34 years by winning the NCAA Division III Team Championship in Mason, Ohio in May of 2015. Settles' coaching record stands at 578-108 overall, and 187-4 in conference play.Â
Settles has coached Stags to four NCAA Singles titles: Advik Mareedu's back-to-back championship runs in 2025 and 2026, as well as Warren Wood in 2015 and Skyler Butts in 2016. He has coached two doubles teams to NCAA titles: Larry Wang and Gui Schils in 2008, and Warren Wood and Joe Dorn in 2015. He has also coached 37 ITA All-Americans during his time at CMS.  In recognition of Coach Settles' leadership, both the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and the United States Professional Tennis Association have honored him with Coach of the Year accolades at the National (2025 and 2013) and West Regional (2025, 2013, 2009 and 2006) levels. Settles and his staff have also earned seven SCIAC Coach Staff of the Year honors during his tenure.
Settles is a USPTA certified Elite Professional and a graduate of the USTA High Performance Coaching Program. In addition to coaching the Stags, Settles has coached Team USA in the International University Challenge - leading six top collegiate American players in an eight-team international competition in France - and the Southern California Maze Cup Team (Boys and Girls 16s and 18s).
Settles has served as a volunteer member of two USTA national committees, the Collegiate and Adult & Senior Competition Committees. He has also served two terms spanning twelve years on the Board of Directors of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. He has served as co-chair of the ITA Division 3 Operating Committee and currently serves on the ITA's Ethics and Infractions and Rules Committees, and leads the D3 Coach Mentoring Cohort. At CMS, he serves on the Hall of Fame Committee and as co-advisor to the CMS SAAC Executive Board.
Settles' outreach efforts in the Claremont community have yielded five ITA Campus and Community Outreach awards. He and wife Kathy serve as Tournament Directors for the SoCal Pro Series 15K, USTA National Family Hardcourt Championships in June and the USTA National Husband-Wife Hardcourt Championships in November. In 2013 the Settles' launched Tennis in Our Schools, a 501(C)3 not for profit foundation bringing tennis to each of Claremont's seven elementary schools in the form of physical education and after school programming. In 2018, the program re-directed to aid Title 1 California high school tennis teams in need. The Settles' have raised over $75,000 for Tennis in Our Schools, positively impacting local need-based high school teams.
Before coming to CMS, Settles served as Director of Player Services of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body of men’s professional tennis. At the ATP, Settles’ wide range of responsibilities included leading the Player Services Department, staff liaison for the ATP Player Council, Player Leadership Committee, and Board of Directors; and serving as founding committee member of the ATP Medical Services Committee. After leaving the ATP, Settles served on the Player Services staff for the Los Angeles ATP 250 level tournament from 2004 through its final year in 2012.
Still an active player himself in the adult and family divisions, Settles is winner of 44 USTA National Championships. He represented the USA at the Masters World Championships in Lisbon, Portgual in 2023 and in Manavgat, Tukiye in 2026. Paul, and wife Kathy have four children: Ryley, Christian, James, and Caleb.
