Net Notes

Garlington Named Tournament Director of the Quarter

The USTA Missouri Valley is honoring a junior tournament director during each quarter this year. The goal of the award is to identify potential mentors for new tournament directors and set a standard for other tournament directors. The tournament directors must be a USTA member, and must host at least one section tournament and one district tournament. His or her tournament must be staffed with officials, and he or she must take initiative and express a willingness to learn and try new ideas. Honorees will receive a certificate of recognition and an Amazon Gift Card for their achievements.

USTA Missouri Valley Teams Represent Well at USTA Tennis on Campus National Championships

Among the first to compete at the new USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Fla., three teams from the USTA Missouri Valley represented the section well at the recent USTA Tennis on Campus National Champions.

The first quarter honoree is Kevin Garlington. Kevin is a tournament director in Tulsa. When asked the one thing he’s learned as a tournament director, Garlington said, “It sounds corny, but being a coach, the biggest thing is you want to put your best foot forward in terms of welcoming people to the facility. As the tournament director, you're the person who's either going to make things great or screw things up. I try to be the first person to lending a helping hand and see how I can help someone before they ask for help.” 10

Washington University-St. Louis, the USTA Missouri Valley champion, finished with a 5-2 record while the University of Iowa finished 3-4. Both teams advanced to the Silver bracket after going 2-1 in their round robin matches. Iowa State University advanced to the Copper bracket after going 0-3 in their round robin matches and finished 1-6 overall.

Tennis on Campus is a USTA program that is designed to give college students an opportunity to keep their competitive spirits alive, stay in shape and meet fellow college students from around the country. The program is flexible, incorporating players of all ability levels and teams of all sizes in a fun, competitive environment outside of the Division I atmosphere.

Baxter Inducted into ITA Hall of Fame

Francis Baxter joined Nick Bollettieri, James Blake, Matias Boeker and Bill Otta in this year's Intercollegiate Tennis Association Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame induction class. The induction took place May 25 in Athens, Georgia.

Baxter enjoyed tremendous success during his long tenure as tennis coach at UCO, directing the men's program for 36 years (1970-06) and women for 26 years (1980-2006). Prior to coaching college tennis, he spent 14 years coaching high school tennis and won three state titles. At Central Oklahoma, he led the men's and women's teams to six NAIA District 9 championships in the 1980s while taking the men to three NAIA national tournaments and the women to one. Baxter was named District 9 Coach of the Year eight times in the 1980s. Baxter also guided his teams to eight combined NCAA Division II national tournament appearances, six for the men and two for the women.

Baxter was named Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year for the women in 1998 and the men in 2004, while also claiming Division II Coach of the Year accolades for the men in 1996. He coached 14 players who earned NAIA or Division II All-America honors a combined 25 times, including the school's first-ever Division II national champion (Charl Bornman). Baxter was also the driving force behind UCO hosting the NCAA Division II national tournament in 1991, '92, '93 and '96 in addition to the ITA/Rolex National Small College SUMMER SERVE 2017 Championships in 1993 and '94.

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