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Hart Awarded USTA/ITA Community Outreach Award Winner

Award honors an ITA coach for significant contributions in developing community-based tennis programs

Dec. 1, 2008

Courtesy of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

SKILLMAN, N.J. - Washington State University women's tennis coach Lisa Hart has been named the national winner of the USTA/ITA Community Outreach Award. She will be honored by the ITA and the USTA on Saturday, December 13 at the ITA Coaches Convention at the Naples Grande Resort and Spa in Naples, Fla., during the ITA Welcoming and Awards Banquet. In addition to Hart, the ITA will also recognize Bill Macom, the Director of Tennis, men's and women's tennis coach at Florida Institute of Technology is the national winner of the USTA/ITA Campus Recreation Award.

"It's great to have our program recognized for the hard work we have put in." WSU Head Coach Lisa Hart said. "We have a great deal of support in the Pullman area and enjoy all of the time we spend interacting with the fans and the community."

The USTA/ITA Community Service Award honors an ITA coach for significant contributions in developing community-based tennis programs through community centers, schools, parks, community tennis associations, inner city, suburban or rural programs. The USTA/ITA Campus Recreation Award honors an ITA coach who has done an outstanding job implementing the USTA's Tennis On Campus program or similar recreational tennis programs on campus in an effort to grow tennis participation within the campus community.

This year's national winners were selected from a group of USTA Sectional winners determined this fall (and listed below). This awards program, which began in 2003, was open to over 2,000 ITA head and assistant coaches at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College levels.

"Lisa and Bill are great examples of coaches who give back to their communities and campuses and our hope is that their efforts continue to inspire other varsity coaches to emulate the great work they are doing," says ITA Executive Director David A Benjamin. "We strongly believe that community service and campus recreation programs are vital for today's college coach to become involved in and these awards help highlight the coaches who have made those crucial efforts."

Hart, who is also the award winner for the USTA/Pacific Northwest Section, is in her 11th season as a tennis coach and in her sixth as Washington State University's head women's coach. Hart has made promoting tennis within the Pullman community a priority in her time at WSU. Some of the many accomplishments and programs that Hart can be credited with include: providing tennis clinics for both juniors and adults such as the annual "Play with a Coug" event in which players and coaches provide drills and coaching, educating community members about the players, program and college tennis as well as giving opportunities for advanced tennis players to team with members of the team to play day-long tournaments. In conjunction with the YMCA, the players and coaches offer clinics to the mentally and/or physically disabled several times each school year. Many camps have also been established on Washington State's campus such as the Holiday and Junior Tennis Camps offered in the winter and summer, respectively as well as the Women and Girls in Sports Day. Each year, the numbers for these events has increased as well as has the general excitement within the Pullman community that was less prevalent five years ago. The university also takes part in hosting a Campus Tennis bash every year that is run entirely by the students and staff, including one scheduled in January 2009 with the assistance of USTA's Mark Toppe. All the while, Hart served as Faculty Advisor for WSU's club team, served on the ITA Operating Committee and is a member of the Awards and Scholarship Committee for the university's athletic department.

"The USTA is very proud of the contributions these extremely special coaches have made on their campuses and within their local communities," says Glenn Arrington, USTA National Manager Tennis On Campus. "Not only do these fine coaches help pave the way for future generations of tennis players they provide leadership and example for hundreds of other coaches nationwide that can benefit from engaging in campus and community outreach."

USTA/ITA Community Outreach Award - Sectional Winners: Honors an ITA coach for significant contributions in developing community-based tennis programs through community centers, schools, parks, community tennis associations, inner city, suburban or rural programs.

Florida - Chi Ly, Palm Beach Atlantic University Hawaii Pacific - Stefan Pampulov, Hawaii Pacific University Intermountain - Mark Tichenor, Boise State University Northern California - Marc Weinstein, Mills College Pacific Northwest - Lisa Hart, Washington State University Southern - Bill Riddle, Cumberland University Texas - Bobby Kleineckie, Texas A&M University

Past National Award Recipients: 2007 - Craig Ward, Ouachita Baptist University (Community Service), and Steve Wilkinson, Gustavus Adolphus College (Community Outreach); 2006 - Chris Young, Wichita State (Community Service) and Dave Shook, Lehigh University (Campus Recreation); 2005 - Michael Gennette, California Lutheran (Community Service) and Dee Henry, Biola University (Campus Recreation); 2004 - J Webb Horton, Florida Gulf Coast University (Community Service) and Kai Fong, Lewis-Clark State (Campus Recreation); 2003 - Greg Patton, Boise State (Community Service) and Laura Travis, University of Delaware (Campus Recreation

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