Category: Announcement

TEMPE, Ariz. – It’s been a decade since Lisa Raymond last suited up at the US Open, a tournament the ITA Women’s Hall of Famer and former Florida Gator routinely made a living at throughout her career. At the final Grand Slam event of the season, Raymond garnered a trio of titles over the course of her storied career at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. Raymond won a pair of mixed doubles championships at the US Open with Patrick Galbraith (1996) and Mike Bryan (2002) before becoming the oldest woman at age 38 to win a Grand Slam Women’s doubles title alongside Liezel Huber in 2011. Raymond and Huber, seeded at No. 4 in the 2011 US Open, dethroned the reigning champions in Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova (4-6, 7-6, 7-6). Before she was the No. 1 doubles player in the world, a title first earned in 2000, Raymond steered the Gators to their first NCAA team title in 1992 under head coach Andy Brandi at Florida. She also won the singles championships in both 1992 and 1993 to close out her collegiate career. Raymond, who won all four doubles grand slams over the course of her career, was inducted into the ITA Women’s Hall of Fame in 2012. Lisa Raymond’s ITA Hall of Fame bio Decades later, Florida alum McCartney Kessler is aiming to make a splash of her own in New York and replicate the success of her fellow Gator in Raymond. A star for the Gators from 2018-22, Kessler has since emerged as one of the top singles players in the world, soaring to a career-best No. 30 in the rankings this season. Kessler is in the midst of a transformative 2025 season in which she’s won a pair of singles titles and one doubles crown, teaming up with Coco Gauff to win the Women’s Doubles title at the National Bank Open in Toronto in early August. Prior to a professional career, Kessler cemented herself as one of the top collegians in the country throughout an impressive four-year stretch in Gainesville. Named the SEC Player of the Year in 2022, Kessler finished her Gator career with 106 singles wins, three selections to the All-SEC First-Team and three ITA All-American honors. The 26-year-old Kessler, one of many former star collegians in this year’s tournament, will open her third trip to the US Open with a first-round matchup against Magda Linette on Sunday, August 24. Former collegians in the main draw at the US Open Men – Ben Shelton (Florida), Francisco Cerundolo (South Carolina), Brandon Nakashima (Virginia), Nuno Borges (Mississippi State), Gabriel Diallo (Kentucky), Cameron Norrie (TCU), Marcos Giron (UCLA), Jacob Fearnley (TCU), Arthur Rinderknech (Texas A&M), Learner Tien (USC), Aleksandar Kovacevic (Illinois), Rinky Hijikata (North Carolina), Ethan Quinn (Georgia), Mackenzie McDonald (UCLA), Aleksandar Vukic (Illinois), Adam Walton (Tennessee), Brandon Holt (USC), Eliot Spizzirri (Texas), Nishesh Basavareddy (Stanford), Tristan Boyer (Stanford), Stefan Dostanic (USC, Wake Forest) Women – Emma Navarro (Virginia), Diana Shnaider (NC State), McCartney Kessler (Florida), Peyton Stearns (Texas), Danielle Collins (Florida, Virginia), Yuliia Starodubtseva (Old Dominion), Lulu Sun (Texas), Mayar Sherif (Fresno State, Pepperdine), Leolia Jeanjean (Arkansas, Baylor, Lynn), Valerie Glozman (Stanford) About the US Open The 2025 US Open will be held from August 24-September 7 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. Play begins daily at 11 a.m. ET, with evening sessions scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET in Arthur Ashe Stadium. For schedules, results, draws and more, visit USOpen.org.

TEMPE, Ariz. — Frank Brennan Jr. is asked it every spring. “During every NCAA Championships, people ask me, ‘What do you miss most since you’ve retired?’” It’s nearly impossible to settle on just one thing. A 21-year tenure as the Stanford Women’s head coach, in which he won 10 team championships and sported a remarkable 510-50 record, is replete with memories, relationships and accolades he could easily point to. Brennan, inducted into the ITA Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006, delves into all that and more in our Q&A with him in which he discusses his wide-ranging impact on college tennis and his love for the Cardinal. What initially led you to Stanford?It’s sort of a crazy story. I grew up in New Jersey and I always tell this story. The first book I ever read was the Bob Mathias story, who was an Olympic decathlete, two-time Olympic champion from Stanford. I read that book and thought, This guy is the greatest athlete in the world. Stanford, I was just sort of fascinated with it. There was also a tennis player by the name of Jon Douglas who was also a football player. He was a guy I looked up to. He was older than I was, and I looked up to him because he played football and tennis and I played other sports besides tennis. I thought, That’s cool. He’s like me, not playing just tennis. I played football in high school and a little bit of basketball. I just sort of followed Stanford after that. The main reason I got to Stanford was because of Lele Forood, who was my protege since she was 10 years old. She was making a decision between Florida and Stanford. I said, ‘You’ve got to go to Stanford. It’s the greatest school out in northern California.’ I had never visited up to that point, but I was heavily in the Stanford camp at that point. She did go to Stanford and become a star and that sort of further enraptured me with Stanford. One day, I was in New Jersey at my tennis camp and Lele came in off the pro tour, and she said, ‘You know the job at Stanford just opened up.’ I said, ‘Really?’ I move at glacial speed, but my wife moves a lot faster. She said, ‘You’ve always wanted to be a college coach and this is a school you love. Why don’t you apply?’ She got me off my butt, I sent off my tennis camp brochure and sent it to Stanford. They called me out for a visit. Dick Gould, the longtime successful men’s coach, was an acquaintance of mine. He’d come to Florida where I was living at the time and was recruiting one of my male players to come out to Stanford to play on the John McEnroe team. He was in my corner, I felt, so that was a pretty good deal. When you were offered the job, how long did it take for you to accept it? Was it an immediate yes?I was smart enough to clear it with my wife. At the end of the interview, there were two or three other people being interviewed. I didn’t know I got the job until I got back to Jersey. Camp was over for us and we were out on the Jersey Shore and I got the telephone call from Stanford that I got the job. I had already discussed it with my wife that if they gave me the job, I’d take it. She was actually more for it than I was and I was 110 percent for it. It was a pretty easy decision. How did your experience running these youth camps in New Jersey translate to coaching in college?Not much at all really. I was a teaching pro for private clubs for a long time. I was fortunate enough to have six, or so, national junior champions. I was already coaching at that high level and had girls who went off and were playing pro tennis. What I didn’t have was that experience of running a team and running a team practice. The Xs and the Os were in my DNA, but when I got to Stanford, I showed up the first day with a tennis racket in my hand and talked to the girls and didn’t know what I was doing. Of course, one girl yells, ‘Coach, can you look at my serve?’ Another girl yells, ‘Coach, can you look at my backhand?’ ‘Coach, I can’t get my forehand in.’ I quickly put down my racket and picked up a clipboard and started to run practice that way. I pretty much only got to hit a couple times a year when we were doing one-on-ones. That was the big difference for me, just learning how to deal with 10, 12 people at a time over when I did private lessons with one at a time. How long until you felt comfortable being a college coach running a program?It didn’t take very long. I was used to dealing with young girls at a very high level. I had been in tennis my whole life. My father was a coach. It came pretty naturally to me. I had a very good mentor at Stanford in [men’s coach] Dick Gould. We shared an office, so if I had any questions, I could just turn around and ask Dick, ‘What do you do on Thursdays? What’s a good drill for doubles? What do you do when 10 girls show up and all want to work on something different?’ He was a great mentor for me in the beginning and saved me a lot of learning time. You were 510-50 in your career. What went into the preparation for matches?We worked hard all the time. What I would do about a day before the matches, I’d get the girls together a day before at practice and say, ‘This is dealer’s choice. Whoever wants …

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TEMPE, AZ – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is proud to announce the 2024 ITA Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame induction class. This class celebrates Louise Allen and Shelley Keeler Whelan for their contributions as players, and Jan Brogan and John Peterson for their contributions as coaches.  “College tennis has an unbelievable history, and the ITA Halls of Fame continue to preserve and celebrate this history,” said ITA CEO, Timothy Russell. “The biennial induction ceremonies in Williamsburg, Virginia, at The College of William and Mary, the home of the ITA Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, are always a high point in the life of our sport and Association.” “The induction of these four outstanding individuals carries on the Hall of Fame’s tradition of recognizing the best of the best in our sport,” said ITA Women’s Hall of Fame Curator Tyler Thomson.  “We look forward to honoring them, celebrating their accomplishments with family and friends, and cementing their legacy for generations to come.”   The 2024 ITA Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame Induction will take place in Williamsburg, Virginia on the campus of The College of William & Mary. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 5th 2024. Those interested in attending may fill out the registration form below or contact Jenna Kane, ITA Hall of Fame Manager (jkane@itatennis.com). Registration Link Players Louise Allen, Trinity (1981-1984) – As a standout on the Trinity University women’s tennis team, Louise Allen was  a four-time All-American and the 1983 NCAA Division I Women’s Doubles champion as a junior at Trinity. That same year, Allen captured the 1983 Pan American Games Women’s Doubles title and was the recipient of the Broderick Award, now known as the Honda Sports Award. This award is given annually to the nation’s best collegiate women’s tennis player. By the time of graduation, Allen had compiled a singles record of 115-11 and had never lost a match at home in singles or doubles.   Following her time at Trinity, Allen took her talents to the professional tour, reaching a career high world ranking of No. 62 while competing in a combined 27 grand slam events. In 1992, Allen was nominated for the WTA Comeback Player of the Year following her battle back from several injuries. Allen is a member of the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame and Trinity Athletics Hall of Fame. Today, Allen is the Chief Product Officer of Planview, a software company based in Austin, Texas.  Shelley Keeler Whelan, Pomona College (1988-1992) – During her time at Pomona College, Whelan left an impressive stamp on the women’s tennis program. In 1990, 1991, and 1992, Whelan dominated the doubles scene, being crowned the NCAA Division III Doubles National Champion three straight years. During her final season, Whelan also captured the NCAA DIII singles title and led the Sagehens to the NCAA Division III team title. Whelan was awarded the Pomona-Pitzer Major Award in 1991, an honor earned by athletes who have contributed the most to his or her intercollegiate program. Whelan is also a recipient of the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Most Outstanding Student-Athlete Award and was inducted into the Pomona-Pitzer Hall of Fame in 2002.  For the past 16 years, Whelan has managed a multigenerational family office that invests in businesses and real estate in the Pacific Northwest. She has served as a board member of various organizations including the Girl Scouts of Western Washington, the Alliance of Angels, and the Northwest Entrepreneur Network.  Coaches Jan Brogan, UC Berkeley (1978-2007) – A legendary figure in the women’s tennis world, Jan Brogan left a legacy comparable to none. As the Cal Women’s Tennis coach from 1978 to 2007, Brogan compiled a 539-223 (.707) dual-match record, making her just the fourth Cal coach to reach the 500-win plateau while also making her the winningest coach in Cal tennis history upon her retirement. Under her direction, the Golden Bears made 26 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament and had 19 top-ten finishes since 1982.  Brogan’s dedication to excellence earned her the 1990 Wilson ITA National Coach of the Year award, ITA Northwest Region Coach of the Year honors in 1988, 1991, 1993, and 2007, and conference coach of the year eight times during her career 1982-87, 1992, and 1994. Brogan has been a member of the ITA Board of Directors, ITA Operating Committee, NCAA Championship Tennis Committee, and the Chair of the ITA Sport Science Committee.  In 1998, Brogan completed a M.A. in Sports Psychology from John F. Kennedy University. As a result of her dedication to lifelong learning and a desire to share her knowledge of sport psychology techniques, Brogan taught applied sports psychology and life skills classes for student-athletes at Cal.  John Peterson, Tyler Junior College (1987-2011) – During his 24-year tenure as the head men’s and women’s coach at Tyler Junior College, Peterson won a combined 25 national championships (12 men’s, 13 women’s) and amassed a total career record of 828-189 (.814). Peterson served as the Tyler Junior College Athletic Director from 1995-2000 and also served on the ITA Board as a Junior College representative. Peterson is a member of the NJCAA Men’s Tennis Hall of Fame, the NJCAA Women’s Tennis Hall of Fame, and is a 2007 inductee of the Texas Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame. In 2000, the ITA named Coach Peterson the Junior College National Coach of the Decade, the only coach named Coach of the Decade in both the men’s and women’s division.  Prior to coaching the men’s and women’s tennis programs at Tyler, Peterson taught physical education and coached football, track, and eventually tennis at the middle and high school levels. Peterson attributes his success to his wife, kids and grandchildren.     About the ITA Women’s Collegiate Hall of Fame – The ITA Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, founded in 1995, was created to celebrate the milestones in women’s collegiate tennis, from the early struggles for recognition to the achievement of full-fledged intercollegiate competition. The Women’s Hall of Fame is operated by The College of William & …

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