USTA Southern Announces 2018 Annual Tennis Awards
USTA Southern announced the recipients of its 2018 awards, given for outstanding achievements in tennis both on and off the court. Twenty-six winners will be recognized during the USTA Southern Annual Meeting at the Atlanta Marriott Perimeter Center, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019.
Selected winners were nominated as candidates by USTA staff and volunteers in the section’s nine states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The winners were then selected from among the nominees by volunteer members of the USTA Southern Awards Committee and numerous other committees.
USTA Arkansas is very proud of Wyatt Miller, the tournament director, who planned and ran the Conway Regional Tennis Classic.
- Adult Tournament of the Year: Conway Regional Tennis Classic; Conway, Ark.
- Charlie B. Morris Jr. Service Award: TBA
- Community Tennis Association of the Year: Asheville Tennis Association; Asheville, N.C.
- DeWitt Redgrave III Junior Achievement Awards: Jared Pratt; Daniel Island, S.C. and Cori Gauff, Atlanta
- Educational Merit Award: Lenny Simpson; Wilmington, N.C.
- Gerrie Rothwell Award: Scott Novak; Mobile, Ala.
- Jacobs Bowl: Dennis Miller; Madison, Miss.
- Jim Russell Junior Tournament of the Year: Allstate Sugar Bowl Tennis Classic; New Orleans
- Junior Team Tennis Coordinator of the Year: Amanda Hunt; Peachtree Corners, Ga.
- Local League Coordinator of the Year: Tracy Debnam; Raleigh, N.C.
- Mac MacDougal Tennis Official of the Year: Holly Stroud; Atlanta
- Marc Kaplan Media Excellence Award: Brian Hall; Greensboro, N.C.
- Marilyn Sherman Spirit Award: Bob Cause; Winnabow, N.C.
- Member Organization of the Year: Prestonwood Country Club; Cary, N.C.
- Mickey McNulty Family of the Year: The Michael & Debra Beck Family; Watkinsville, Ga.
- NJTL Chapter of the Year: South Atlanta NJTL; Atlanta
- No-Cut Coach Starfish Award: Laura Gurley; Simpsonville, S.C.
- Ozaki-Hastings Junior Sportsmanship Award: Emma Navarro; Charleston, S.C.
- Slew Hester Female and Male Players of the Year: Fred Robinson; Charlotte, N.C. and Jan Kirkland-Cochran; Fayetteville, Ga.
- Southern Tennis Professional of the Year: Tomas Catar; Fairhope, Ala.
- Special Tennis Event of the Year: Fed Cup Asheville 2018 – USA vs. Netherlands; Asheville, N.C.
- Team Tennis Event of the Year: Tennis on Tap; Baton Rouge, La.
- Tennis on Campus Club of the Year: Clemson University; Clemson, S.C.
- Tennis on Campus Leader of the Year: Nicholas Baxendell, East Tennessee State University; Johnson City, Tenn.
- Wheelchair Excellence Award: ITF Georgia Open; Rome, Ga.