#ATAResults – Page 12 – AUSTIN TENNIS ACADEMY

ATACP Senior Abigail Chiu Claims Gold Ball At USTA Clay Court Nationals

The 2016 USTA Clay Court National Championships unfolded last week, with 14 ATA Academy players competing across all age divisions. The standout performance came from ATA College Prep Senior Abigail Chiu, who brought home a Gold Ball for winning 1^st place in Girl’s 18s doubles – her 8^th National Ball overall.

“This moment in particular was the most special feeling I’ve had after claiming a national ball,” Chiu said. “Between it being one of my last ever super nationals and having my mom witness me winning a gold ball for the first time, it was truly rewarding. The acknowledgment I’ve received especially amongst my ATA peers has made this accomplishment feel even better.”

Abigail traveled to the event, hosted in Memphis, TN, with ATA CEO Jack Newman. Following a tough first-round singles loss, Abigail was able to refocus and earn three-straight wins in singles before her undefeated run in doubles with partner Elysia Bolton.

“I have to give a huge thanks to Coach Newman who played a huge part in this,” Chiu said. “He was so encouraging and gave me great motivation throughout the entire tournament. We had a specific ritual everyday that allowed me to stay calm and focused and I really do credit him in the highest ways. I really believe he is the best at what he does and when you get the chance to travel with him one on one, you come to realize why ATA is so special. Of course I also credit my three main coaches: Coach Doug, Coach Brandon and Coach Dio who consistently take care of me both physically and emotionally.”

Chiu also credited her access to two beautiful red clay courts here at here home Academy; appropriately named The Chiu Family Clay Courts.

“The clay courts at ATA have definitely been nice,” Chiu said. “It’s not so common to have clay courts at your home facility; many of my friends have to travel to Florida or other such places to access them but we’re really lucky here. Not every academy can have such nice clay courts and that’s the reason so many kids across Texas come to ATA for better preparation.”

Newman also credits the courts for the overall success of ATA players on the surface recently.

“We had our best clay court performance this year of any years previously,” Newman said. “Having our players start practicing on clay during the year on a regular basis and exclusively after the summer grand slam for sure helped our performance.”

Beyond the coaching, preparation, and court access, Chiu also credits her partner in this event.

“Elysia is also probably the best partner I’ve ever played with. She is an incredible player and I felt that our games really complemented each other well. The last match was actually our most dominating and confident performance and that’s another reason why winning this has never felt better. It was relieving to finish my last clay court nationals with a title and with a match that I will never forget.”

After spending the week with Abigail and coaching her to a Gold Ball, Newman was clear on how she stacks up against her peers on the doubles court.

“Abigail is the best doubles player of her age in the country (IMHO), for the following reasons–very good serve locations, solid returning from both sides, ability to move forward and control volley height and pace, ability to perform formations effectively without fear.”

The natural step after reaching a goal for Chiu and all ATA student-athletes is simple: set another one. Now, she will focus forward on the next steps in her tennis career.

“The next step for me is getting ready for college tennis. I am planning on tweaking my schedule a little bit so that I can experience some higher level tournaments whether it’s lower lever pro tournaments or more collegiate events. I’ve played junior Texas tennis my entire life and I’m ready to see what it’s like against the girls at the next level!”

Newman Leads Group On College Tour and Showcase

A group of ATA College Prep and Academy student-athletes recently returned from a trip that began with a tour of multiple college campuses and finished with a College Showcase in front of dozens of top coaches.

ATA CEO Jack Newman led the group and served his standard role as grand maestro of the college placement and recruiting process for each ATA player throughout.

“Visiting college campuses allows the ATA students a chance to get a feel for the campus, meet the team and coaches, while giving them perspective to compare other schools against,” said Newman. “The major positive is that these kids become real people to the coaches, rather than a name and a ranking.”

The group visited Wesleyan University, Amherst College, Vassar College and Yale University, which also hosted the showcase.

“On a visit you can fall in love with the campus, or the city and decide that that is school you want to go to,” said ATA College Prep Junior Annika Pandey. “When visiting you get an overall feel of what life would be like as a student there, and that can make or break your decision to attend that school.”

The college showcase itself is designed to give student athletes a chance to compete in front of the top college coaches and academic schools in the country.

“Playing in front of coaches is always a lot of fun for me, you get to demonstrate how hard you’ve worked since the last time they saw you, and you get to showcase the type of energy and competitiveness you would bring to a college team,” said ATA College Prep Senior Alejandro Rodriguez. “I also had a lot of fun hanging out with my teammates at the showcase- I think college coaches took note of how close knit our group was and it speaks to the culture of the ATA program.”

Entrants play 3 singles matches against players of similar level and 2 doubles matches with a random partner.

“I really enjoyed playing good doubles in front of the Dartmouth and Brown coaches, and talking to the Harvard, Cornell, Pomona and Johns Hopkins coaches, among others, after the showcase,” said Pandey. “I also liked hanging out with my ATA teammates in between matches, and having them cheer me on when I played, and when I cheered them on when they played.”

While the student-athletes are doing their best on the court to present themselves as desirable recruits, according to them, the most unrelenting, hardest working member of the trip didn’t hit one ball.

“Coach Newman is the driving force in his players’ college processes,” said Pandey. “He is extremely skilled at his job, and I actually really like watching him talk to college coaches while selling his players. He knows everyone and everyone knows him and regards him with the utmost respect. I truly believe there is no one better than him to help me in my college process. The entire showcase he was talking to me about how to talk to coaches, and introducing me to coaches, hunting them down for me and talking to them about me. I remember after I played my last match, Coach Newman and I went on a mission around the Yale courts for all the schools that are on my list and he knew all of the coaches and introduced me to all of them, effortlessly. I think what makes him good at the college process is his relentless pursuit. From the beginning of the showcase to the end he kept talking to me about getting on Harvard’s radar, and Dartmouth’s radar, which did happen by the end of the showcase, thanks to him. He talked about hunting down the Princeton coach for me the entire showcase, with unrelenting perseverance. He will stop at nothing to sell his players to the schools they want to go to.”

Alejandro echoed Annika’s sentiment about Coach Newman’s leadership.

“Coach Newman is probably the best coach in the country when it comes to placing players at the schools they are dying to go to. He always had at least 5-7 coaches watching everyone’s matches, explaining to them who you are both as a player and a person, and helping to bridge that gap between the player and the coach. He is invaluable because his word has a lot of weight with coaches all around the country, allowing him to really bring ATA players into their radar. There are so many good players out there, but Coach Newman helps you stand out as a player, person, and recruit. So many times I heard coaches say, “we love ATA players”, and he knows exactly how to use that reputation to get the coaches you want recruiting you.”

For Newman, he is not only vigorously working on behalf of each of the players currently on the trip, but also all future ATA players who will soon be in that position.

“It’s very valuable for all the players at ATA, not just the ones who come on the trip because I am constantly talking to coaches about all of our players,” Newman said. “ATA has a very good track record of placing leaders at college tennis programs, coaches know ATA and more specifically they know me very well. My goal has been to build a stellar reputation with college coaches so that my credibility with them is impeccable. That way I can be an honest advocate for our students and help coaches make good decisions in their recruiting process. ATA players are highly sought after by college coaches because of the record of the leadership our students have shown in the past.”

Historically, ATA players have gone on to serve as Captain of over 25 college teams – a number this group and many others are looking to add to soon.

ATA Players Excel at Summer Grand Slam

Leading every program in Texas, sixty-three Austin Tennis Academy players earned their way into the Texas Summer Grand Slam last week in College Station, including 5 Champ Masters qualifiers.

A number of ATA players stepped up and played their best tennis at the most important state tournament of the year. The impressive results yielded by ATA players included one singles winner, two singles finalists, one third place in singles, one semifinalist in singles, three quarterfinalists in singles, one doubles winner, and five doubles semifinalists.

University of Chicago bound senior Erik Kerrigan won the doubles title and came within two points of winning the 18s singles title. Erik followed up his inspiring performance in the doubles semifinals by an even more dominating and masterful performance in the doubles finals against the highly accomplished team that defeated ATA doubles standouts Payton Holden and Jake Berber in the other semifinals. The morning after securing the doubles title, Erik came within 2 points of capturing the singles title at 5-4 and 6-5 in the second set with a devastating attacking style game that was highlighted by blistering serves, crushing groundstrokes and beautiful touch volleys. Although Erik’s remarkably consistent opponent eventually wore him down in the third set, Erik’s performance at Summer Grand Slam was a storybook ending to a fantastic junior career. In fact, after the updated rankings came out this week, Erik moved up to #2 in the state – his career high.

Following his semifinal finish in doubles, Princeton bound senior Payton Holden ended his stellar Texas junior career by winning third place in singles by defeating in straight sets the #1 ranked player in 18s who recently signed with Florida State.

Another ATA senior who shined at Summer Grand Slam was St. Edward’s signee Chase Bartlett, who reached the quarterfinals of singles by upsetting a player who reached the quarterfinals of the National Hardcourt Championships in Kalamazoo last summer. Chase’s professionalism and calm demeanor impressed the ATA coaches, who looked on as he served out the match at 5-4 in the third set. It was a victory that will remain etched in the memories of those lucky enough to watch the match.

Abigail Chiu had the best performance amongst ATA players competing in the 18s draw, reaching the quarterfinals of doubles as well as singles, where she lost to her future Dartmouth teammate. With the exception of touring pro Ashley Weinhold, Abigail has thus far enjoyed the most accomplished junior career of any female player in the 13-year history of ATA, and the coaching staff at ATA is excited that Abigail has another 11 months to compete in juniors.

Also competing in the Girls 18s, Alexandria Mjos fought her way to the semifinals of the doubles draw, while earning four wins in singles. Both the University of Houston and University of South Florida coaches watched Mjos’ first two singles matches, both of which she won in straight sets.

ATA players also had a very strong showing in the 14s age group at Summer Grand Slam. Max Schmidhauser followed up winning the singles title at the Level 2 National Selection tournament in Wisconsin last month by winning the singles title in 14s at Summer Grand Slam by defeating the #1 seed in the finals in a hard fought three set battle highlighted by his competitive grit and fight. Max benefitted from a “spot on” tactical plan devised by Coach Doug Davis for the singles finals, as well as four months of twice-per-week extra fitness sessions with Coach Josh Rifkin that allowed Max to have “fresh legs” throughout the tournament. Max also had his best ever doubles performance at Summer Grand Slam by reaching the semifinals. Max also earned a nickname during the event: Max ‘The Warrior’ Schmidhauser, coined by family friend and ATA lifer Philip Berber for his warrior-like spirit on the court.

On the Girl’s side of the 14s draw, Caroline Wernli, for the second year in a row, reached the singles finals of Summer Grand Slam in her age group. Caroline’s ability to step up her game in pressure situations makes her a force to be reckoned with. Both of her quarterfinal and semifinal wins were three hour, 6-4 in the third set battles in which she showed incredible mental toughness, determination and passion to compete on the big stage.

The 16s age group had excellent performances from Callie Creath, Georgia Wright and Bailey Forgus at Summer Grand Slam. Callie followed up her 4th place finish in singles at the Level 2 National Selection tournament last month by reaching the semifinals of both singles and doubles at Summer Grand Slam. Callie’s outstanding results can be attributed to her superior fitness, calm and determined demeanor, professional approach to competition and disciplined patterns.

Georgia Wright had her best showing of the year by upsetting the #5 seed on her way to reaching the quarterfinals of the singles draw. Georgia’s level of focus, calmness in between points and superb movement frustrated her opponents and suggest that her results will only continue to improve.

On the boy’s side of the draw, Bailey Forgus, whose ranking was only #62 before Summer Grand Slam, had an inspiring “breakthrough” performance. In the singles draw, Bailey defeated in straight sets the #17 seed in the second round and then upset the #4 seed in the fourth round with a commanding 6-1 in the third set victory spurred on by Coach Newman’s game plan at the split and a large group of Bailey’s ATA teammates enthusiastically cheering him on to victory. Bailey’s breakthrough in the most important tournament of the year in Texas should be an inspiration to his teammates because he consistently shows excellent focus and a strong work ethic at practice, and he always shows up for fitness at afternoon practice and College Prep workouts in the morning. In addition to his outstanding work ethic, Bailey is one of the most coachable students at ATA and has been willing to stick with his attacking all-court game style in practice matches and tournaments even though it has resulted in some short-term setbacks from a results perspective. Coach Newman believes that Bailey’s “willingness to stick to his guns and play his game in the face of failure and defeat over the past nine months was validated last week at Summer Grand Slam when he was able to put all of the elements of his attacking game into play.”

The best performance by an ATA player in the 12s age group at Summer Grand Slam was by James Cockrell, who rebounded from his loss in the Round of 16 in the singles draw by reaching the semifinals of doubles where he lost a tough 3 set battle to the eventual champions. James is distinguishing himself as a great doubles player, as demonstrated by him capturing 3 SCMZ doubles titles this year with his partner.

The results at the Texas Grand Slam tell a lot about the dedication of the ATA players and coaches. But it is the ongoing competitive spirit, the desire to become even better, and the community team support that continue to make ATA the best place to develop and live the sport!

The ATA College Prep Community Honors The Class of 2016

The ATA College Prep community came together earlier this month to celebrate the graduating class of 2016.

Set in the serenity of the Spanish Oaks hills, a few hundred family members and friends of the graduates attended the commencement ceremony. Before Head Coach Doug Davis offered his customary invocation,Director of ATA College Prep Carol Hagar opened the evening and welcomed the guests.

“Over the years, I have witnessed these student-athletes struggle, accomplish, and develop into strong young men and women and it has been an honor to work with each of them. I hope that the lessons learned here will continue to guide them into thoughtful futures and continued transformations. I know they will each add a great deal to their excellent university communities.” ~Carol Hagar

As the sun set behind the trees, the community personally honored and celebrated each graduate. Hunter Bleser, Sofia Burnett, Chase Bartlett, Payton Holden and Erik Kerrigan were each recognized through commemorative video tributes, introduced by two loved ones who know each graduate best, and finished by addressing the audience with a few words of their own.

Continuing a CP tradition, each graduate selected a Senior Legacy Quote that will be installed as pavers in the campus garden. Their selections are below.

Chase Taylor Bartlett will attend St. Edward’s University next fall. His trainer/mentor Dio Miranda and friend Garrett Reiter spoke on his behalf.

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” – Vivian Greene

Hunter Nicole Bleser will attend the University of Virginia next fall. Her grandfather Franklin Cutler and brother Ryan Bleser spoke on her behalf.

“God didn’t bring you this far to leave you.” – Philippians 1:6

Sofia Burnett will attend Washington University next fall. Her friend Sarah Masaryk and trainer/mentor Dio Miranda spoke on her behalf.

“What lies behind us, and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Payton Holden will attend Princeton University next fall. His friend/mentor Philip Berber and his Aunt Renee Pethtel spoke on his behalf.

“But you know, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” – J.K. Rowling

Erik Kerrigan will attend the University of Chicago next fall. His friend Aksel Taylan and English teacher Tommy Collins spoke on his behalf.

“The world’s a stage and I want the brightest spot.” – David Lee Roth

After the presentation of the graduates, Christopher Stevens, a Notre Dame Professor, Producer and Entrepreneur, offered the commencement address titled Living The Dream.

“What a thrill to see how every child should be so blessed to graduate. ATA is a very special place and the fine institutions the five graduates will attend this fall is testimony to the quality education they have received. Moreover, the sense of wanting to give back and help those less fortunate than they are seems to run in the DNA of every student. It was truly a privilege to be at the ATA graduation ceremony.”

~Chris Stevens

CEO Jack Newman closed the graduation ceremony by initiating the Passing Of Leadership To The Class of 2017. This tradition of handing off the ATA ball symbolizes the hand off of responsibility for leadership within the greater Academy group for the next year.

A year from now, this group of leaders will look to continue the CP tradition of 100{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9} college matriculation to some of the top schools in the world.

Congratulations to each of the ATA College Prep graduates of the class of 2016! Check the ATA College Prep Facebook page for more pictures from the evening.

Play Tennis at Austin Tennis Academy This Summer!

2016 Summer Tennis Training Camps

This Summer, take advantage of the Austin Tennis Academy’s tennis camps to progress at a rapid rate while having fun playing the game. These camps are designed to provide the greatest development of your child’s physical, mental, technical, and tactical performance levels. Sign up now for a full week or a single day!

Sessions

Summer Grand Slam Camp – June 6-10 – (SuperChamp Only)

June 13-17
June 20-24
June 27-July 1
July 5-8 (No camp July 4th – costs adjusted this week)
July 11-15
July 18-22
July 25-29
August 1-5
August 8-12

Times

QuickStart Camp 9:00am – 10:30am (age 5-8)

Morning Camp 9:00am – 12:00pm
Tournament Tough Training Camp 1:00pm – 4:00pm^*

Cost

QuickStart Camp $175/week ($40/day drop-in)

Morning Camp $300/week ($80/day drop-in)
Tournament Tough Training Camp $375/week ($90/day drop-in)

QuickStart Camp

9:00am – 10:30am ($175 per week or $40 per day)
The QuickStart tennis format used by the Austin Tennis Academy gives kids the opportunity to rally a ball over the net and learn to play points as quickly as possible – all in a fun environment. Our coaches recognize the importance of starting kids off well, and with success. The ATA was instrumental in developing this groundbreaking nationwide program and served as the pilot program for the USTA. This program uses the appropriate size racquet, court and ball to allow kids to do more – faster! Suggested Age: 5-8 years old.

Morning Camp

9:00am – 12:00pm ($300 per week or $80 per day)

Players will improve their game by learning fundamental skills, practicing game situations, and improving overall movement. Using the latest techniques and international innovations, players learn valuable athletic skills for tennis and other sports.

Afternoon “Tournament Tough” Camp

1:00pm-4:00pm ($375 per week or $90 per day)
Tournament players will improve their game by using competitive game situations, technical training and point play, as well as movement and flexibility training. This camp is limited to Champ and Superchamp-level. ATA Academy players will be training at this time.

Policies

Registration must be made online.
Payment in advance is required to reserve your slot.
ATA camps are held rain or shine. Indoor sessions are held in the event of inclement weather.
No refunds or make-ups for days missed.
Weekly rate applies to that particular week only (no carryover).
Medical Release and Hold Harmless must be filled out online.
Players may leave credit card on file to cover pro shop purchases, lunch, etc.
Private housing may be available. Email info@austintennisacademy.com to inquire.
Early drop-off and late pick-up is available upon request for $50 per week.

Tournament Results National Open, ATA Open & JTT Sectionals

This past weekend ATA had players competing in National Opens, ATA Open and Junior Team Tennis Sectionals.

Congrats to:

National Open Players:

Max Schmidhauser National Open B14 Singles Champion (pic below)

Abigail Chiu National Open G18 Singles Champion and Doubles Runner Up (pic below)

Callie Creath National Open G16 4th place

Kristin Kerrigan Nation Open G16 5^th place

ATA Open Players:

Alejandro Rodrigues ATA Open B18 Champion

Granville Kaynor ATA Open B18 Runner Up

Haydn Steffes ATA Open B16 Runner Up

Ela Raczka ATA Open G16 Champion

Kailey Chase ATA Open G16 Runner Up

Alex Shedden ATA Open b16 Champion

Nolan Santacroce ATA Open b14 Champion

Blake Tollen ATA Open b12 Champion

Savannah Baptiste ATA Open g14 Champion

Junior Team Tennis Teams:

18U advanced 1st place at sectionals (Hannah Harrod, Alex Mjos, Georgia Wright, Tyler Anson, Kyler Bender, Bailey Forgus and Juan Abboud) pic below

The 18U Dream Team was dominate this past weekend in the state playoffs in Tyler, TX. In 5 dual matches, the team went 179-40 in games won/lost. ATA lived up to its slogan to “Devastate, Dominate!” And we had a pretty good time, as well!! Coach John

14U advanced 1st place at sectionals (Sarah Darbar, Abigail Gordon, Elena Kalogirou, Aaron Darbar, Matthew Gavrilov, Varun Somarouthu) Pic below

12U advanced 2nd place at sectionals (Denver Holden, Adi Iyer, Jake Riezebeek, Cody Schiffman)

10U green ball 5th place at sectionals (Jennifer Jackson, Jacob Golden, Luke Riezebeek, Landon Phillips)

3 ATA Players Super in Doubles CMZ

This past weekend we had 3 ATA players Super in the Austin doubles CMZ. Ross Cockrell, Devan Sabapathy, Adi Iyer all qualified in boys 12s. Devan and Adi were doubles partners for the first time and won the CMZ! While, Ross made it to the finals to qualify.

6 ATA Players Honored at CATA Awards Banquet

On Sunday May 22, Coach Newman introduced Payton Holden at the Capital Area Tennis Association (CATA) junior awards banquet and Payton was awarded the player of the year award. Also, Sydney Gaskamp and Emily Cotton received CATA scholarships, Chase Bartlett and Kristin Kerrigan were ATA’s award winners and Marcus Sweeney was recognized as MVP for the Westlake High School team.

Coach Newman said that, “being able to introduce Payton Holden at the banquet was a great experience for me as many young players from Austin got to be inspired by Payton’s accomplishments. And we got to showcase in front of the entire Austin tennis community what a player from ATA is capable of doing.” The following is what Coach Newman said to introduce Payton.

I have been coaching Payton since he was 9 years old. Here are some interesting stats for you about Payton.

Payton champed up at the Georgetown ZAT in May of 2007, he was 9 years old and 1 month.

He supered up at the Laredo CMZ when he was 10 years old and 6 months.

He won his first SCMZ 4 months later.

In his time as a junior tennis player he has won a superchamp major zone in both singles and doubles in every age group. He has won an excellence tournament in every age group, he has also won the summer grand slam in both singles and doubles.

Since he was 12, he has been ranked in the top 50 in the United States in each age group.

In his career, he has lost 386 junior tennis matches and won 650 junior tennis matches for a total of 1036, not counting this weekend in Houston. That’s 10 year’s of 100 matches per year since he was 10 years old.

He is a phenominal athlete who can make any shot. He had mastered the tweener by the time he was 11. His volley skills are the best I have seen as a coach in 30 years of coaching elite level players.

The thing that separates Payton from many other tennis athletes is his consistency. He has rarely missed a practice or lesson in 8 years of training. His practices are still very high level, high intensity and I believe he will be as successful a college player as he has been a junior player.

Payton could have played tennis for any College or University in the United States, he chose to play for Princeton, furthering both his tennis career and maximizing his college opportunity through being an elite level athlete.

Needless to say I am completely and utterly proud of him.

Finally, if you knew him when he was younger, you know he has gone from being one of the best players in Texas with the shortest hair, to being one of the best, with the longest hair.

Congratulations to all the ATA Winners!!!

ATA Regional Host Site for Oracle/ITA Junior Masters Championships-Powered by UTR

ATA will be a regional host site for the new Oracle/ITA Junior Master Championships, which is powered by the Universal Tennis Rating system. The inaugural Oracle/ITA Junior Masters Championships will take place during the summer and fall of 2016. Austin regional tournament at ATA will take place August 20-21, 2016.

The regional events, for girls and boys, will take place at 12 sites around the United States and will be held in August and September of 2016. The top 16 UTR-rated boys and girls who register in each region will participate in compass draws in those regional events with the winner of both the girl’s and boy’s events progressing to the October 13-16, 2016 Oracle/ITA Masters in Malibu, California – hosted by both the Malibu Racquet Club and Pepperdine University. The regional winners will receive up to a $750 travel/hotel stipend to play in the Masters Championships in Malibu. One woman and one man from each Division I Conference will also be invited to the championships to compete in both their respective singles as well as a mixed doubles competition.

Click here to read more on Oracle/ITA/UTR partnership and more about the tournament and how to sign up.

Coach Newman Quoted in UTR Article

ATA CEO Jack Newman was recently quoted in an article,”The Tennis Coach’s Toolbox” the Universal Tennis Blog about the Universal Tennis Rating system. Coach Newman, has been using UTR for ATA’s practice ladder since August of 2015. Newman describes the process as

“I update my ladder on Mondays. Kids are excited to see their progress, parents are clear how players are distributed in practice (by similar UTR) and coaches get to work with players on the same level. Everyone is happy.”

To learn more about the Universal Tennis Rating System click here to read the entire article

ATA Alumni Morgan Barnhill Named Academic All-League Team

ATA alumni Morgan Barnhill was named to the 2016 Academic All-League team. Student-athletes were voted for and chosen for the honor based on their academic and athletic performances this season in the Summit League Conference. Barnhill, with a 3.8 GPA as a finance major and marketing minor, posted a 14-7 singles record and an 18-2 doubles mark during the season. Click here to read more.

Meghan O’Malley and Gabriella Cusano Win State!

Senior Meghan O’Malley and her partner Gabriella won the class 5A girls doubles state tournament for Vandegrift High School. In the finals, they played a doubles team from Alamo Heights High School and won 6-1,2-6,6-2. Congrats Meghan and Gabriella! To see the rest of the results from the tournament click here.

3 ATA Players Competing at State

In the Class 6A state tournament, Tyler Anson and his doubles partner Brendan (pictured above) will be playing for Lake Travis High School and Roger Chou will be playing singles for Westlake High School. Meghan O’Malley and partner Gabriella will be playing doubles for Vandegrift High School in the class 5A state tournament. Play begins Monday May 16th in College Station click here to follow their results.

Raven Hampton the captain of the Lake Travis team said,” Tyler Anson is a sophomore who has proven himself to be an invaluable member of the team in his first year. This year he has teamed up with Brendan Brown and together they have become an unstoppable force on the court.”

Coach Strecker Voted Coach of the Year in the All-Heartland Conference

Coach Strecker was named Coach of the Year after leading the Hilltoppers to their eighth-consecutive Heartland Conference Tournament Championship. St. Edward’s finished the season 9-12 overall and 4-1 in conference. Strecker has now won the honor in both years he has headed the program. Click here to read more

ATA Alumni Josh Hagar Named to ACC All-Conference Team

Josh Hagar was awarded 3rd all-conference team in the ACC. Josh is ranked nationally 106 in singles and 51 in doubles. He is 12-9 in singles this year playing toward the top of Notre Dame’s line up. Click here to read more

Last 3 Sign: Chase, Davis and Andrea

Chase Bartlett, Andrea Stapper and Davis Meyer all had their signing ceremonies Monday night, which are held in the ATA fitness center. They were surrounded by their friends and families, as well as the ATA community to help them begin their transition to college.

Andrea Stapper signed her National Letter of Intent with the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. She will play tennis for the Lions starting in the Fall. She will compete in the Heartland Conference, which is the same as St. Edwards University’s conference. Coach Brandon spoke on Andrea’s quite nature but at times really funny and can always make people laugh. Andrea thanked her family, coaches, friends and the ATA community for supporting her through her journey at ATA even though she had started ATA a lot later after taking her sister’s spot while she started basic training. She was happy she gave it a try and has really enjoyed her time at ATA.

Davis Meyer signed his National Letter of Intent with Colorado Mesa University. He will play tennis for the Mavericks in the Fall. Coach Segovia spoke on Davis’s journey at ATA and his tennis. Davis thanked his family, coaches, friends and ATA community for sharing good times throughout his experience at ATA. He thanked Coach Segovia for sticking with him during his ups and downs of his career and deciding if he wanted to continue tennis.

Chase Bartlett signed his National Letter of Intent with St. Edwards University here in Austin. He will play tennis for the Hilltoppers in the Fall. Coach Rowe spoke on Chase’s enthusiasm in his lessons and his hard work. Coach Newman spoke on how Chase is a Force Multiplier. He brings everyone up if he is on the court, in the classroom or mentoring others. He has had a 4.0 throughout his time at College Prep and has been one of CP’s greatest students and mentors. Chase thanked everyone for coming and supporting him. When he moved to Austin from Dallas he felt ATA was a family. This is something he did not feel at any other academy. He thanked his coaches, family and friends for being there for him and making his experience great.

Congrats to all three Andrea, Chase and Davis on their accomplishments and their bright futures at their respective institutions!

Hannah and Brennan Win State Back to Back

St. Michael’s sophomores Brennan Foreman and Hannah Harrod won the TAPPS 4A girls doubles state tennis championships for the 2nd year straight, defeating All Saints Episcopal of Tyler in the finals 6-1, 6-1.

Hannah said, “Back to back state champs! Last year going in as freshman I knew we had nothing to lose but this year Brennan and I were extremely nervous and that caused us to have a challenging semi final match. Fortunately our coach calmed us down and we won that match and the next! Playing school tennis is an amazing opportunity because our coach can talk to us on change overs and we have our teammates screaming and cheering for us on the side lines.”

Congrats to Brennan and Hannah!

Payton Holden joins Princeton Tigers 2020 class

Princeton Tigers recently put up an article on their 3 incoming freshman for the 2020 class. Payton Holden will be among 3 outstanding 5 star recruites. The head coach Pate expects that all 3 freshman will make an immediate impact. He will be joined by Eduardo Paz from Santa Cruz, Bolivia and Davey Roberts from Palm Coast, FL. Click here to read more

Ford wins player of the week award

ATA alumni Ashley Ford, a sophomore at Millsaps won her conference’s (Southern Athletic Association) player of the week award this past week. Ashley went 4-0 at #1 singles and doubles for the weekend helping her team win both matches to close out their regular season. Click here to read more

Emily & Raven Signing Ceremony

Long time friends, high school tennis teammates and doubles partners Emily Cotton and Raven Hampton – both had their signing ceremonies Thursday night, which were held in the ATA fitness center. They were surrounded by their friends and families, as well as the ATA community to help them begin their transition to college.

Emily Cotton signed her National Letter of Intent with the Trinity University. She will play tennis for the Tigers starting in the Fall. Coach Segovia spoke on Emily’s brutal honesty at times and her loyalty. Emily is also very involved with FFA and has a very demanding schedule each day. Emily also stood up and thanked her family, coaches, friends and the ATA community for supporting her through her journey at ATA. She also had everyone laughing at a few stories from ATA team trips.

Raven Hampton signed her National Letter of Intent with Chapman University. She will play tennis for the Panthers in the Fall. Chapman is a top 7 ranked university in the West. Coach Brandon spoke on Raven’s character of being a caring and a leader/captain of her Lake Travis High School team. Raven thanked her family, coaches, friends and ATA community for sharing good times throughout her experience at ATA.

Congrats to both Emily and Raven on their accomplishments and their bright futures at their respective institutions!

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