Intercollegiate Tennis Association
Encyclopedia
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association is an organization of 1,500 coaches and 15,000 collegiate tennis
players, encompassing more than 1,000 college tennis programs. Included in the membership are women’s and men’s head and assistant coaches at the NCAA Divisions I, II, III, and NAIA and Junior/Community College schools.
The first meeting of the National Collegiate Tennis Coaches Association was called in June 1956, at the NCAA Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan
. That original group, consisting of fewer than 20 coaches of men’s NCAA Division I schools, grew into today’s Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
The ITA, which was known as the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association from 1958 until July 1992, received major sponsorship funding from a variety of corporations, including: Rolex
Watch, U.S.A., Volvo
Corporation of America, DuPont
, Wilson Sporting Goods
, Reebok
, Fila
, Polo Ralph Lauren
, and Omni Hotels.
Most of the ITA’s current activities, from the sponsorship of eight national championships, the sanctioning of over 150 collegiate tournaments for teams, singles, and doubles, and the awarding of a range of honors for coaches and players, began at the end of the 1970s.
The ITA Office is located in Skillman, New Jersey
. In 2000, the ITA moved its headquarters to the greater Princeton area, after 16 years at the Lenz Tennis Center on the Princeton University
campus.
The awards include:
’s Henry Field Stadium 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."
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
players, encompassing more than 1,000 college tennis programs. Included in the membership are women’s and men’s head and assistant coaches at the NCAA Divisions I, II, III, and NAIA and Junior/Community College schools.
The first meeting of the National Collegiate Tennis Coaches Association was called in June 1956, at the NCAA Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
. That original group, consisting of fewer than 20 coaches of men’s NCAA Division I schools, grew into today’s Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
The ITA, which was known as the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association from 1958 until July 1992, received major sponsorship funding from a variety of corporations, including: Rolex
Rolex
Rolex SA is a Swiss watchmaking manufacturer of high-quality, luxury wristwatches. Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands...
Watch, U.S.A., Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
Corporation of America, DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
, Wilson Sporting Goods
Wilson Sporting Goods
The Wilson Sporting Goods Company is a sports equipment manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois, and currently is a foreign subsidiary of the Finnish company Amer Sports....
, Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
, Fila
Fila (company)
Fila is one of the world's largest sportswear manufacturing companies. Founded in 1911 in Italy, Fila has been owned and operated from South Korea since a takeover in 2007. Headed by chairman and CEO Yoon-Soo Yoon, Fila now has offices in 11 countries worldwide....
, Polo Ralph Lauren
Polo Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren Corporation is a luxury clothing and goods company of the American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren specializes in high-end casual/semi-formal wear for men and women, as well as accessories, fragrances, home and housewares...
, and Omni Hotels.
Most of the ITA’s current activities, from the sponsorship of eight national championships, the sanctioning of over 150 collegiate tournaments for teams, singles, and doubles, and the awarding of a range of honors for coaches and players, began at the end of the 1970s.
The ITA Office is located in Skillman, New Jersey
Skillman, New Jersey
Skillman is an unincorporated area within Montgomery Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08558. It is also home to Johnson and Johnson's consumer division.- History :...
. In 2000, the ITA moved its headquarters to the greater Princeton area, after 16 years at the Lenz Tennis Center on the Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
campus.
Awards
Various regional awards are presented by ITA in recognition of outstanding performances in men and women college tennis each year.The awards include:
- ITA/Campbell National Player of the Year Awards
- Arthur AsheArthur AsheArthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...
/ITA Collegiate Awards for Leadership and Sportsmanship - ITA Senior 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-America Team Awards (performance)
- ITA All-Academic Team Awards (team GPA award)
- Cissie Leary/ITA Award for Sportsmanship (women Div. I)
- Rafael OsunaRafael OsunaRafael Osuna Herrera is the most successful tennis player in the history of Mexico. He was born in Mexico City, Mexico, and is best remembered for his singles victory at the U.S. Open Championships in 1963, winning Wimbledon Doubles championships twice, the U.S...
/ITA Award for Sportsmanship (men Div. I) - John Van Nostrand/ITA Award (men Div. I)
- ITA National Doubles Team of the Year
- ITA Collegiate All-Star Team (composed of top players from all divisions)
- USTA Collegiate Summer Team (traveling team)
- WilsonWilson Sporting GoodsThe Wilson Sporting Goods Company is a sports equipment manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois, and currently is a foreign subsidiary of the Finnish company Amer Sports....
/ITA Coach of the Year Awards - ITA Assistant Coach of the Year Awards
- ITA Achievement Award (awarded to varsity collegiate tennis alumni)
Hall of Fame
The ITA Men's Hall of Fame is located at the University of GeorgiaUniversity of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
’s Henry Field Stadium in Athens, Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
, and the ITA Women's Hall of Fame is located at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center
McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center
The McCormack–Nagelsen Tennis Center is a $3,000,000, facility that is home to the College of William & Mary’s women’s tennis team as well as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Women’s Tennis Hall of Fame. It is located in Williamsburg, Virginia. The facility includes six indoor courts and...
at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
.
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."