Intercollegiate Tennis Association

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association is an organization of tennis coaches and players at the college level in the United States. The membership includes people from NCAA Divisions I, II, III, and NAIA and Junior/Community College schools.[1] The head office is located in Tempe, Arizona.

ITA logo
Intercollegiate Tennis Association
FormationJune 1956
Location

History

The association was founded in June 1956 by 20 men's coaches at NCAA Division I schools. The association was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association from 1958 until July 1992. The group sanctions collegiate tournaments and sponsors eight national championships, using funding received from major corporate sponsors. The ITA instituted a range of awards and honors for players and coaches starting in the late 1970s. The ITA office is also responsible for producing national and regional rankings for teams, singles and doubles for all classifications. The rankings are an important determining factor for NCAA team and individual qualification, as well as individual awards. The ITA uses Universal Tennis Rating as its official system of rating the skill level of players.

Former Princeton tennis coach David Benjamin became the head of the organization since 1979, first as the elected president before serving as the executive director from 1983 to 2016. [2] Since 2016, the ITA headquarters has been located in Tempe, Arizona, near the Arizona State University (ASU) campus. The current executive director is Dr. Timothy Russell.[3]

Major Championships

Except for the NCAA Championships, the ITA is responsible for organizing the other national collegiate tennis championships during the school year.[4] Today, the ITA runs many of its tournaments in conjunction with the United States Tennis Association. Since 2011, the USTA has hosted the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships at the indoor complex at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.[5]

ITA Team Championships:

  • ITA National Team Indoor Championships (NCAA Div. I & Div. 3)

ITA Individual Championships:

  • ITA All-American Championships
  • USTA/ITA National Small College Championships
  • USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships
  • ITA/USTA National Summer Championships

Awards

Various national and regional awards are presented by ITA in recognition of outstanding performances in men and women college tennis each year.

The awards include:

  • ITA National College Player of the Year Awards
  • ITA/Arthur Ashe Awards for Leadership and Sportsmanship
  • ITA Senior/Sophomore Player of the Year Awards
  • Ted Farnsworth/ITA Men's Division I Player of the Year Awards
  • ITA Rookie Player of the Year Awards
  • ITA Player to Watch Awards
  • ITA Scholar Athlete All-American Awards
  • ITA All-Academic Team Awards (team GPA award)
  • Cissie Leary/ITA Award for Sportsmanship (women Div. I)
  • Rafael Osuna/ITA Award for Sportsmanship (men Div. I)
  • ITA Meritorious Service Award, presented by ConantLeadership
  • ITA National Doubles Team of the Year
  • Steve Wilkinson Team Sportsmanship Award
  • ITA Collegiate All-Star Team (composed of top players from all divisions)
  • USTA Collegiate Summer Team (traveling team)
  • Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year Awards
  • ITA Assistant Coach of the Year Awards
  • ITA Most Improved Senior/Sophomore of the Year Award
  • ITA Achievement Award (awarded to varsity collegiate tennis alumni)[6]

Hall of Fame

The ITA Men's Hall of Fame is located at the University of Georgia’s Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia, and the ITA Women's Hall of Fame is located at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The ITA Women's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame 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."

College Tennis Alumni Network

In 2019, the ITA launched the College Tennis Alumni Network, which is a community of former college tennis players in order to help tennis graduates connect with each other and stay connected to the sport. College tennis alumni can join the network at collegetennisalumni.com.

References
  1. "ITA history". Intercollegiate Tennis Association. January 21, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  2. http://www.itatennis.com/AboutITA/AbouttheITA.htm
  3. "Timothy Russell Appointed New CEO Of ITA". Intercollegiate Tennis Association. May 12, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  4. "ITA National Championships". itatennis.com. Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  5. "Fields Announced for USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships" (PDF). itatennis.com. USTA. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  6. "ITA Award Winners". Itatennis.com. August 24, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
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