The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) in partnership with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) is pleased to announce the 15 coaches selected to participate as mentees in the second year of the ITA USTA College Coach Mentorship Program.
The following coaches will be paired with a veteran collegiate coach this upcoming year:
- Lois Arterberry, University of Missouri
- Kourtney Chumbley, Ouachita Baptist University
- Ellyse Hamlin, Yale University
- Larry Holmes, Norfolk State University
- Harry Jadun, Michigan State University
- Raphaela Jann, Rochester Institute of Technology
- Megan Kurey, University of Notre Dame
- Trey Morris, Montana State University
- Elizabeth A. Mosser, Harford Community College
- Kris Powell, University of Chicago
- Kirby Ronning, Washburn University
- CeeJay Schaffner, University of Wisconsin, Superior
- Calvin Song, Fresno State University
- Miyanna Yvonne Vernon, Mount Saint Mary College
- Caitlyn Williams, University of Tennessee at Martin
“Congratulations to all of the college coaches selected to participate in this tremendously valuable program,” Martin Blackman, General Manager of USTA Player Development, said. “After an incredibly successful first year, we are looking forward to making the second year even better and more impactful. The future is very bright for these young coaches who have the benefit of being mentored by some of the best head coaches in college tennis!”
The pilot year of the mentorship program was met with immense success. The relationships and systems of support formed through the mentorship pairings were even more valuable to the 24 participating coaches due to the tumultuous nature of the 2020-21 season.
As a result of the success and interest in the program, the ITA and the USTA expanded the program from 12 mentorship pairs to 15 pairs.
“I would like to thank the outstanding mentor coaches who participated in the first year of this program and gave their time so willingly to the mentees and the program as a whole,” Dave Mullins, Managing Director of the ITA, said. “I am excited to see how these mentoring relationships continue to grow in the coming years and to follow the bright careers of our 12 graduating mentee coaches.”
The second year of the program will officially kick off with a three-day orientation that will take place July 13-15th. At the virtual orientation, the mentors and mentees will meet, learn the best practices of an effective mentoring relationship, explore goal-setting, and develop effective communication skills.
Additionally, all participants will go through the True North Sports Coach Development Academy. The programming will help the coaches develop their team philosophy, culture, and program structure.
The participating mentee coaches will also receive free registration to the 2021 ITA Coaches Convention in Las Vegas. The Coaches Convention offers coaches a wide variety of career development opportunities. Past presenters include Stan Smith, Patrick McEnroe, Chris Evert, Craig O’Shannessy, and Roger Crawford.
