#ATAResults – Page 14 – AUSTIN TENNIS ACADEMY

ATA Hires New Academy and Fitness Coach

ATA recently hired new academy and fitness coach Josh Rifkin, who is from Fort Wayne, Indiana and who has been involved with competitive tennis his entire life. Following his junior career, Josh became the winningestmen’s tennis player in the history of Ithaca College, as well as the first ever Division III All-American in doubles at his college.

Josh’s journey with ATA began in the summer of 2011 after deciding he wanted to pursue a professional tenniscareer. After some research, he came across ATA and took a visit. Immediately after visiting, he felt a strong connection and knew this was the place he wanted to train. After about one year of training, and gaining a great deal of elite level tennis knowledge, Josh decided to take a coaching job back home in Fort Wayne. Throughout his time at ATA, Josh found a passion in the integration of tennis coaching and training for tennis performance enhancement. As a result, he realized he wanted to give more to his students than just tennis. This led Josh to begin pursuing an education andcareer in the health and fitness world. This new career path led Josh to founding his own private health and fitness business where he primarily worked with competitive junior tennis players.

Josh’s relationship with ATA did not end after he decided to go back home to take the teaching job in Fort Wayne. In fact, Josh visited ATA at least once a year to reconnect with the coaches and continue to learn and grow as a tennis coach and fitness professional. During Josh’s most recent visit in September 2015, he was offered an opportunity to become a part of the ATA coaching team.

This was a difficult decision for Josh, as he had established himself with a coaching job and a fitness business back home in Fort Wayne. The decision came down to where Josh thought he could personally and professionally grow the most. A big factor in the decision making process was the players and coaches he would be able to work with, as well as the unique culture ATA has to offer. When Josh came to train as a 22 year old, and when he recently accepted the job offer at 26, he felt a warmness and family environment at ATA that is not easy to come by. The tight knit culture, emphasis on values, character building, community and concept of “living the sport”made the decision a smart one for Josh. It is where he felt he could live his passion of combining his desire to share his love of tennis and fitness while continuing to learn andgrow as a professional.

At ATA Josh will be coaching the academy players and will work with the junior academy and junior development programs. In addition, Josh will help run the academy fitness program. He will also be giving private tennis lessons as well as private fitness training sessions.

Josh’s credentials include:

B.S. Ithaca College

C.H.E.K. Practitioner Level II (Corrective High Performance Exercise Kinesiology)

United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Elite Professional

Certified Etcheberry Coach (Strength, Conditioning and Movement in Tennis)

National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)- Performance Enhancement Specialist

C.H.E.K. Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level II

Erik and Jake’s Signing Ceremonies

Erik Kerrigan and Jake Berber – both had their signing ceremonies last night which were held in the ATA fitness center. They were surrounded by their families, as well as the ATA community to help them begin their transition to college.

Erik Kerrigan signed his National Letter of Intent with the University of Chicago. He will play tennis for the Maroons starting in the Fall. He also received an academic scholarship for his outstanding SAT score of 2350! The university has a 7.8{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9} acceptance rate and only 10 percent of the accepted students get scholarships. The University of Chicago is ranked #4 according to US News and has had 89 Nobel Prize winners. Coach Strecker and Coach Newman shared stories about Erik and his time at ATA, congratulating him on the accomplishments he has had in his junior career thus far. Erik also stood up and thanked his family, coaches, friends, teachers at College Prep and the ATA community for supporting him through his journey at ATA.

Jake Berber signed his National Letter of Intent with Claremont McKenna College. He will play tennis for the Stags in the Fall. Jake’s brother and Coach Newman are both alumni of Claremont McKenna College. Forbes ranked Claremont McKenna as the 6th best liberal arts college and 18th best college in the nation. Claremont has 1,349 students with a 9.7{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9} acceptance rate. Coach Brandon and Coach Newman had many stories to share from Jake’s experience at ATA since Jake was 5 years old. Coach Brandon knows the Berber family well, as he grew up playing tennis with Jake’s older brothers. Coach Newman had a few stories from his time at ATA but really spoke for Jake’s character. He was told that Jake was one of nine recruits for the Stags. When his future teammates had to pick who they wanted for a teammate, Jake was number 1 on all the players lists. Jake makes friends wherever he goes and is very well liked because of his calm, friendly and understanding personality. Jake has been a top 50 nationally ranked player since he was 12 years old. Combining his tennis abilities and his character, the Stags will have a great future teammate. Jake thanked his family, coaches, friends and ATA community for helping him get through some tough times and also sharing good times throughout his experience at ATA.

Congrats to both Erik and Jake on their accomplishments and their bright futures at their respective institutions!

Parent Seminar with David Benzel Jan 14, 6pm

USTA National Winter Championships Recap

Under the guidance of Coach Newman and Coach Notis, 17 players represented ATA at the USTA National Winter Championships in Phoenix (Boys and Girls 16’s&18’s) and Tuscon (Boys and Girls 12’s&14’s).

Boys 12’s – James Cockrell

Girls 12’s – Sasha Malysheva, Caroline Wernli

Boys 14’s – Juan Abboud, Harrison Chiu

Girls 14’s – Anushka Dania, Megha Dania

Boys 16’s – Jesse Wikso

Girls 16’s – Callie Creath, Kristin Kerrigan

Boys 18’s – Chase Bartlett, Jake Berber, Payton Holden, Erik Kerrigan, Alejandro Rodriguez

Girls 18’s –Hunter Bleser, Abigail Chiu

Several ATA seniors distinguished themselves in the 18’s draw of Winter Nationals. Payton Holden rebounded from a first-round singles loss to win 5 matches in the consolation draw and finish in the Top 24. Hunter Bleser defeated a #17 seed in her first-round singles match whom she lost to a few months ago. Perhaps more importantly, the Head Coach of University of Virginia (where Hunter will be attending this fall) told Coach Newman that he was excited about the improvement Hunter has made in her game since the summer. Erik Kerrigan also advanced himself with his future coaches at the University of Chicago by upsetting the #3 seeds in doubles with his partner Eric Morris. Another senior, Jake Berber, also stepped up and reestablished himself as a national level player by winning 2 singles matches in the backdraw.

Juniors Abigail Chiu and Alejandro Rodriguez advanced their recruiting status with college coaches from some of the most academically elite Division I schools in the country. Abigail won 2 matches in the main draw of singles and cemented her reputation as one of the premier doubles players in the country by reaching the quarterfinals of doubles. According to Coach Newman, “Abigail advanced herself with coaches from Harvard, Columbia, Dartmouth, Brown and Princeton by competing with a great attitude and showcasing an excellent game style.” During the tournament, Coach Newman had multiple conversations on behalf of Abigail with the Head and Assistant Coaches from Harvard, the Dartmouth Head Coach and the Assistant Coaches from Columbia and Brown. Despite being the last player accepted into the 18’s draw after working his way up the alternate list, Alejandro grinded his way to 3 singles victories in the backdraw, including a win over a #17 seed. According to Coach Newman, “Alejandro helped himself through his outstanding fight and hustle with the Head Coaches from Columbia, Harvard and Northwestern who watched his matches.” Coach Newman made time to have multiple conversations on behalf of Alejandro with each of the coaches from these elite universities.

In addition, Coach Newman spoke to many other college coaches about underclassmen such as Jesse Wikso, Kristin Kerrigan and Callie Creath to lay the groundwork so these coaches know our players before it’s time to be recruited. For example, Coach Newman has already started the college process for 9^th grade Blue Chip recruit Jesse Wikso who competed evenly with the #1 seed in the second round before losing 3-6, 4-6 and then went on to win 2 matches in the backdraw. While Coach Newman is at major national tournaments, he is also talking to college coaches about players who are not at the tournament but who might be a good fit for their school down the line. Through Coach Newman’s long-term approach of developing relationships with college coaches, he is able to open doors and facilitate the college process for ATA players aspiring to compete beyond high school.

In the 14’s draw, Anushka Dania won 3 matches in the consolation bracket after losing her first-round match. Coach Notis remarked on “Anushka’s amazing defensive skills, superior ability to anticipate and intelligent use of variety to keep her opponents off balance.” Harrison Chiu also rebounded from losing his 1^st round singles match (to one of the top players in the country) to win 2 matches in the consolation bracket. But it was Caroline Wernli who shined the brightest in Tuscon in the 12’s draw. Caroline finished in the Top 12 in singles and capped her outstanding tournament by earning a SILVER BALL in doubles with her partner Zoe Hammond from Oklahoma. Coach Notis was blown away by the fact that “Caroline and Zoe played an aggressive brand of doubles finishing many points at the net.” Although Caroline lost a three-hour battle in the round of 16 in singles, Coach Notis was impressed with Caroline’s “unmatched tenacity, consistency, excellent use of the entire court and fighting spirit.” On another promising note, 11-year-old Sasha Malysheva, in her first Level 1 National Championship, demonstrated that she will become a huge threat at the national level in years to come. After watching Sasha begin the tournament by winning her 1^st round singles match against a girl she had lost to six months ago, Coach Notis was impressed with Sasha’s “poise and ability to dictate with her aggressive play.” The future is indeed bright for ATA with young players like Caroline and Sasha leading the charge!

ATA Winter Camp Dec 28-Jan 1

Get a ton of tennis in over break and sign up for ATA Winter Camp that is starting Dec 28 and goes through Jan 1. Click here to learn more and sign up.

December SCMZ ATA wins 4 draws!

Caroline Wernli had a outstanding event. She was the runner up in G14 A draw singles, won the G14 doubles, and won the sportsmanship award. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Jesse Wikso won both of his B18 B draw singles and doubles.

Callie Creath won the G18 B draw doubles.

Other notable results from this past weekend:

Jake Riezebeek has been stepping up his game and got 4th place in B12s B draw, this is his 2nd tournament in a row that he has reached the semi finals.

Sarah Darbar had a great tournament and got 2nd place in G14 B draw doubles and reached the quarters in singles.

5 ATA Players Playing for State!

Andrea Stapper, Meghan O’Malley, Blaine Kanak, Kailey Chase and Synclair Larson all have the same goal in mind this year and it is to Win State! These 5 ATA players are all on Vandegrift’s tennis team, which is the first tennis team in school history that is going to the state finals. Vandegrift has had a record breaking season with going 163-0 in districts, which broke the district and the school record. Their team catch phrase is “That’s what you want!” The players are fired up and ready to compete to win. The team will begin their journey to claim the state title with play starting on Wednesday at 11:30 at Texas A&M University varsity courts. They will play College Station A&M consolidated in the semi-final match. The matches are played with doubles first followed by singles, the first team to win 10 matches wins the duel.

Click here for more info and to follow their results.

Vandegrift’s regional t-shirts supporting Wounded Warriors Foundation. Vandegrift was named after Matthew Vandegrift who served and died in Iraq.

2 Qualify for Champs from San Antonio ZAT

Congrats to Ross Cockrell and Devan Sabapathy for qualifying for Champs from the last ZAT tournament in San Antonio. Ross won the Boys 12s white draw and Devan made it to the finals of Boys 12s red draw. Also, Jack Marcus made it to the semis of Boys 12s and Clark Sweeney won the Boys 14s consolation.

Ross Cockrell 1st place in ZAT

5 Players Place in National Open Tournaments

Honolulu, Hawaii National Open

Abigail Chiu and Alejandro Rodriguez both placed in the BG18 National Open this past weekend. Abigail finished 2nd in singles and 3rd in doubles and Alejandro placed 3rd in doubles.

Austin, TX National Open

Kristin Kerrigan placed 2nd in the G16 doubles National Open. Caroline Wernli won the G12 doubles National Open here is Austin!

Oklahoma City Closed Regional Tournament

Congrats to Wilson Hamilton for winning the B18 singles draw in the Regional 2 USTA tournament.

Excellence Results Oct 3&4

Coach Lucie on G18s:

Hunter Bleser won Girls 18’s A draw, defeating 4 quality players on her way to the title. Her opponent in the finals was Janice Shin, who is currently ranked #2 in Texas and #55 in the nation in Girls 18’s. Hunter continues to improve her aggressive style game and her hard work is paying off.

Abigail Chiu placed 4th in Girls 18’s A draw. Daniela Alvarez finished 5th in her draw, while Andrea Stapper won 2 matches in her draw.

Coach Ryan on B18s:

Wilson won B Draw. Wilson won with his competitive spirit and willingness to out worn his opponents. Everyone he played fought him hard in the first set and collapsed in second because he would not give them a point. Hustling for every ball. He started to attack seconds serves which also put more pressure on them.

Alejandro hurt his back the first game of the event and even being in pain he took care of his injury and fought through the tournament and won the B18s C draw. He went down a set in the first match and could barely serve. But his toughness pulled him through.

Marcus actually won both D draws. They decided to combine them. He only dropped 2 games in he first 2 matches. In the finals the guy surprised him a little and came out strong. He changed up his style a little to lengthen points and make it physical. The guy started cramping in the end of the second set and he make him continue working and he physically and mentally outlasted his opponent.

Garrett Reiter had a good tournament and placed 3rd going 3-1 in his C draw. He lost a tough 3 setter in the semis 7-5 in the third.

Coach Brandon on G16s:

Alex Mjos had a great event making the semifinals of the A draw! On the way she beat the #4 seed 1&1 and played lights out! She has really jumped levels and she will be fun to watch moving forward as she continues to get better.

Being at the girl’s 16s site was a blast. We had 4 girls in the A draw(1/4 of the draw) and 3 in the quarterfinals. We had another 4 girls in B and C draw that had great results as well with Annika making semis of B draw, Synclair winning 3 matches and Kailee and Hannah winning 2 matches. The energy that this group brings to the site every tournament is great! And they continue to improve and push each other to get better!

Coach Vince on B16s and G12s:

Jesse Wikso did a great job this weekend. His positive attitude throughout the tournament was a direct reflection on his results. He made it to the finals without losing a set before losing a tough 3 set battle with the number one player in the state in boys 16’s.

Harrison Chiu, Bailey Forgus and Tyler Anson all had good events. They all went 3 and 1 in their draws in boys 16s. Tyler Anson placed 2nd, Bailey took 3rd and Harrison took 5th.

Sydney Marin beat the number 2 seed in her draw in girls 12’s reaching the semi finals. Her best showing since qualifying to super champs.

Coach Eric on B14s:

Varun reached the finals of the 14s C Draw (White).

Blaine also reached the finals of his respective 14s C Draw (Red), winning tough 3 set battles in the quarters and semifinals and then narrowly losing in the finals after fighting through cramps in a grueling third set. Blaine’s attitude and competitive grit have improved noticeably.

Despite injuring his left thigh in his first round match, Jett Hampton made the semifinals of the Boys 14s B Draw. Jett’s toughness and ability to bear down and compete, despite being injured, should be applauded. I never saw him whine or complain, despite his pain and inability to push off his left leg.

After losing to a quality player in the first round, Matthew won 3 consecutive matches to earn 9th place in his respective Boys 14s C Draw (Blue). Matthew’s game has improved dramatically in recent months.

Juan had a great tournament, earning 6th place in the Boys 14s A Draw. Juan’s serve has improved significantly since the summer and his forehand is becoming a huge weapon. And Juan is now willing to be aggressive under pressure. Big shout-out to Coach Notis for his excellent work with Juan.

Coach Newman on G14s:

Elena Kalogirou won her first two matches, she showed great progress from qualifying from champs a few months ago. Anushka battled in every match, excellent competitiveness from her.

Coach Carrie on B12s:

Jake Riezebeek and James Cockrell both lost in the finals of their backdraw. Jake played great for his first Super. After losing to the top seed in the first round, he fought back in 2 tough matches. His 3rd match went 3 hours and he pulled it out in the third set. Great first Supers for him! James fought hard and also pulled out a three setter in his third match. He is making big strides in his game and it has a lot to do with his attitude and him always working on it on court.

Cody went 1-3 winning his third round, his second win in Supers. He was in every match that he played and had opportunities to turn matches around.

5 ATA players playing “Little Mo” Nationals

“Little Mo” Nationals is a tournament for the top 16 players in the country in the age groups 8,9,10,11 and 12. The tournament has been held at ATA for the past 13 years. To qualify for Nationals one must compete in sectionals and move on to regionals. The top 4 from each regional tournament will qualify for Nationals. Our very own Ashley Weinhold and Blake Davis are former “Little Mo” National winners. ATA will be represented this weekend Oct 16-19 in “Little Mo” Nationals by James Cockrell in B12s, Kerry Lum G12s, Sasha Malysheva in G11s, Sydney Marin in G12s and Cody Schiffman in B11s!

Sydney Marin James Cockrell Kerry Lum Cody Schiffman Sasha Malysheva

Maureen Connolly Brinker “Little Mo”

Maureen Connolly “Little Mo” won the Grand Slam of tennis in 1953. She was the first woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments, the Australian Championships, the French Championships, Wimbledon, and the United States Championships. She received the nickname “Little Mo” after accomplishing this triumph at only eighteen years old. Maureen and Nancy Jeffett started the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation after Maureen moved to Dallas in 1968. They started the foundation to provide funds for tennis clinics and to aid juniors who could not afford to compete nationally. Click here to find out more about the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation and “Little Mo” Nationals.

SCMZ Abilene and San Antonio

ATA had a lot of success in the SCMZ’s for BG12 and 14 in Abilene and BG16 and 18 in San Antonio.

ABILENE

G14s was dominated by ATA players. Anushka and Megha Dania took 1st place in doubles and 1st (Megha) and 2nd (Anushka) place in singles for ‘A’ draw. While Caroline Wernli dominated her first G14s ‘B’ draw playing up from G12s. She took 1st place in singles and doubles!

In Abilene, Anushka Dania and James Cockrell won the sportsmanship awards for BG12 and 14s! They both fought through tough matches and James lost 2 matches in third set TB. They are both tremendous competitors and it is awesome to see them succeed in their attitude/mental game on the court also.

SAN ANTONIO

B16s in San Antonio, Bailey Forgus and Tyler Anson made it to the finals of their draw in singles and they both captured 2nd place.

G16s took over the ‘A’ draw singles with Callie Creath taking 2nd place, Kristin Kerrigan taking 3rd and Georgia Wright winning the BD. In doubles Callie and Kristin took 1st place!

B18s no break for Alejandro Rodriguez, he came back from playing National Clay Courts and took 2nd place in his draw. Jake Berber and his partner captured the title in the B18d ‘A’ draw.

G18s Hunter Bleser took 2nd place and Meghan O’Malley made it to the BD finals of ‘A’ draw.

CP Theatre Performance, Thursday May 21 @ 6pm

PLEASE JOIN US

Thursday, May 21 at 6PM

at the Spanish Oaks Pavilion

for The Importance of Being Earnest

Bring a friend!

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