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ITA Announces 2011 Wilson/ITA Division I National Coaches of the Year
SKILLMAN, N.J. - The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced the Wilson/ITA National Coaches of the Year for NCAA Division I tennis. Kenny Thorne of Georgia Tech was awarded the honor as the top men's head coach while Florida's Roland Thornqvist was the recipient for the women.
Wilson, the Official Tennis Racquet, Tennis Ball, String and Accessory Company of the ITA, has been the ITA's title sponsor of the ITA Coach of the Year since the awards' inception in 1973.
In addition, Wilson serves as the title sponsor for the ITA National Promoter of the Year awards, which presents a wonderful opportunity for students to be recognized for their promotional efforts of their varsity tennis programs by receiving summer intern positions with Wilson Sporting Goods.
"Wilson is appreciative of all the hard work that these coaches and athletes put into the game each day and for their contributions to our industry and college tennis," says Andy Benedict, National Promotions Manager for Wilson Sporting Goods Co.
Wilson/ITA Division I National Men's Coach of the Year: Kenny Thorne, Georgia Tech
- Compiled a 21-6 overall record, the second-highest win total in the history of its men's tennis program and the most wins for the Yellow Jackets under head coach Kenny Thorne.
- Tallied an 8-3 record in Atlantic Coast Conference play, the most ACC wins in its history, good for fifth place. GT reached the semifinals of the ACC Championship, where it lost to undefeated and eventual champion Virginia.
- Hosted the team's first NCAA regional since 1997, and only the second in its history.
- Reached the NCAA Round of 16 for the second time in history, and first time since 1994.
- Climbed from its pre-spring ranking of No. 23 to a high of No. 13 in the final Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings.
- Thorne coached three ITA All-Americans in 2011, singles player Guillermo Gomez, who was ranked 14th in the nation and reached the NCAA round of 16, and the doubles team of Kevin King and Juan Spir, who were ranked 14th nationally and reached the semifinals of the NCAA Championship.
- Gomez finished his career with 119 career singles wins, surpassing Thorne's own Georgia Tech record.
- Thorne has taken 10 of his 13 Georgia Tech teams to the NCAA Championship.
- Thorne has compiled a 180-130 overall dual match record at his alma mater in 13 seasons. In the last two years, with a group of five seniors serving as the core of the team, Tech has compiled a 39-14 overall record, 15-7 in the ACC with two NCAA appearances.
Wilson/ITA Division I National Women's Coach of the Year: Roland Thornqvist, Florida
- Won 2011 NCAA Team Championship (fifth in program history) and finished Runner-Up at ITA National Team Indoor Championships (both finals matches versus Stanford)
- Ended its season on a 21-match win streak, tied for the 10th-longest in program history
- Reached the NCAA Final for the 12th time in program history (5-7 record), while advancingto NCAA semifinals for the 21st time in last 25 years
- Won the SEC Tournament (17th time in 24-year history of event) and captured the SEC Regular-Season title (25th time in 32 years)
- Extended Regular-Season Home Win Streak to 102 matches and overall home win streak to 95 (includes 17 wins in postseason play - SEC & NCAA Tournament)
- Ranked No. 1 in Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings on March 1, 2011(first computer point-based ranking of the season) - first time since March 6, 2007
- Ranked No. 1 six times during 2010-11 regular season
- 2011 NCAA title victory was the 875th win in program history (875-128 in 39 years)
- 3-time SEC Coach of the Year currently has a career record of 324-80 in 15 seasons.
Wilson/ITA National Division I Coaches of the Year:
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Men |
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Women |
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2011 |
Kenny Thorne, Georgia Tech |
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2011 |
Roland Thornqvist, Florida |
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2010 |
Peter Smith, USC |
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2010 |
Brian Kalbas, North Carolina |
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2009 |
Ty Tucker, Ohio State |
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2009 |
Jeff Wallace, Georgia |
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2008 |
Brian Boland, Virginia |
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2008 |
Claire Pollard, Northwestern |
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2007 |
Manuel Diaz, Georgia |
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2007 |
Bryan Shelton, Georgia Tech |
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2006 |
Adam Steinberg, Pepperdine |
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2006 |
Jay Louderback, Notre Dame |
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2005 |
Matt Knoll, Baylor |
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2005 |
Mark Guilbeau, Kentucky |
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2004 |
Ron Smarr, Rice |
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2004 |
Patty McCain, Washington |
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2003 |
Craig Tiley, Illinois |
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2003 |
Lele Forood, Stanford |
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2002 |
Dick Leach, USC |
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2002 |
Brian Fleishman, Wake Forest |
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2001 |
Manuel Diaz, Georgia |
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2001 |
Mike/Sonia Patrick, Tennessee |
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2000 |
Dick Gould, Stanford |
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2000 |
Jeff Wallace, Georgia |
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1999 |
Craig Tiley, Illinois |
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1999 |
Frank Brennan, Stanford |
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1998 |
Dick Gould, Stanford |
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1998 |
Brian Kalbas, William & Mary |
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1997 |
Greg Patton, Boise St. |
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1997 |
Sheila McInerney, Arizona St. |
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1996 |
Billy Martin, UCLA |
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1996 |
Andy Brandi, Florida |
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1995 |
Manuel Diaz, Georgia |
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1995 |
Ann Valentine, BYU |
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1994 |
Dick Gould, Stanford |
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1994 |
Jeff Wallace, Georgia |
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1993 |
Glenn Bassett, UCLA |
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1993 |
Jeff Moore, Texas |
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1992 |
Bobby Bayliss, Notre Dame |
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1992 |
Lin Loring, Indiana |
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1991 |
Dick Leach, USC |
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1991 |
Jeff Wallace, Georgia |
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1990 |
Mike DePalmer, Tennessee |
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1990 |
Jan Brogan, California |
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1989 |
Kent DeMars, South Carolina |
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1989 |
Andy Brandi, Florida |
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1988 |
Jerry Simmons, LSU |
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1988 |
Frank Brennan, Stanford |
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1987 |
Greg Patton, UC-Irvine |
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1987 |
Frank Brennan, Stanford |
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1986 |
Jerry Noyce, Minnesota |
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1986 |
Ian Duvenhage, Miami |
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1985 |
Dave Snyder, Texas |
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1985 |
Carol Plunkett, San Diego St. |
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1984 |
Dick Leach, USC |
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1984 |
Anne Pittman, Arizona St. |
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1983 |
Dennis Ralston, SMU |
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1982 |
Tut Bartzen, TCU |
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1981 |
Chuck Kriese, Clemson |
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1980 |
Dan Magill, Georgia |
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1979 |
Bill Wright, California |
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1978 |
George Toley, USC |
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1977 |
Bob McKinley, Trinity |
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1976 |
Glenn Bassett, UCLA |
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1975 |
Bill Potter, Florida |
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1974 |
Glenn Bassett, UCLA |
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1973 |
Dick Gould, Stanford |
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As the governing body of collegiate tennis, the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which is compised of nearly 1,700 men's and women's varsity coaches representing over 1,200 institutions, administers numerous regional and national championships and the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings for over 15,000 college varsity student-athletes at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior College levels. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship. The official ITA web site is www.itatennis.com.
Wilson Racquet Sports is a division of Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods, one of the world's leading manufacturers of sports equipment and owned by Amer Sports. Wilson designs, manufactures and distributes sporting goods throughout the world and focuses on making technologically advanced products which help players of all levels perform better. Wilson's core sport categories include: Football, Basketball, Baseball, Volleyball, Soccer, Youth Sports, Uniforms/Apparel, Golf, Footwear and Racquet Sports (Tennis, Racquetball, Squash, Badminton and Platform Tennis). For more information, visit www.wilson.com. |
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