Intercollegiate Tennis Association

Coaching with Perspective - Jay Tee, University of Chicago

Jay Tee began his coaching career as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s teams at Cleveland State helping both programs to many achievements. After struggling to identify a head coaching role at the NCAA DI level, Jay opened up his mind to the possibility of coaching another division. In 2012 he accepted the heading coaching role for both programs at the University of Chicago where he has gone on to many accomplishments culminating in a NCAA DIII title on both the men’s and women’s side this past May.

 

In this podcast, Dave and Jay, discuss the transition from DI to DIII coaching, how Jay’s self-reflection during Covid allowed the teams to break through some plateaus, and finding the right fit for your coaching talents.

ITA Student-Athlete Podcast: Violet Apisah, Keiser University

Welcome to the ITA Student-Athlete Podcast with your host Abi Wild, a senior women’s tennis player at Hawaii Pacific University. This podcast was created by college tennis players for college tennis players to share the stories and experiences of our unique sport with the world.

In today’s episode, Abi sits down with Keiser women’s tennis player Violet Apisah. Since beginning her collegiate career at Keiser, Violet has been a part of one ITA National Team Indoor Championship in 2023 and has been NAIA National Runners-Up for the past two seasons.

While you listen, Ansh and Violet will discuss many different aspects of being a college tennis player, including, why she chose to go to junior college before enrolling at Keiser, her success on and off the court, and what it is like to balance academics and athletics. We hope you enjoy this inside look into college tennis, and be on the lookout for new episodes every month for the next three months.

Leading by Example - Gabby Moore, McNeese State University

At one point this season, Gabby Moore helped her team to a 16-match win streak and spearheaded another resurgent year for McNeese State. She served as the head men’s and women’s tennis coach at Jackson State for five years after a great career playing for another HBCU, the Southern Jaguars.

In this podcast Dave and Gabby discuss transitioning from coaching two teams, to coaching one; how she manages the stresses of the life of a college tennis coach as a single mom, enjoy a disagreement over the let rule, and much more.

Reflections on a HOF Coaching Career - Manny Diaz, University of Georgia

Earlier this year, legendary University of Georgia Head Men’s Tennis Coach, Manny Diaz, announced this would be his last season leading the Bulldogs after 36 years at the helm. During his career, Manny and his teams captured 29 conference championships, four NCAA titles, and two ITA national indoor championships to name just a few of his many accomplishments.

 

In this podcast, Manny shares what he learned from his predecessor and mentor, Dan Magill; some of his favorite memories; how he stayed connected and relatable to his players with each passing generation, and much more.

ITA Student-Athlete Podcast: Ansh Shah, Case Western Reserve

Welcome to the ITA Student-Athlete Podcast with your host Abi Wild, a senior women’s tennis player at Hawaii Pacific University. This podcast was created by college tennis players for college tennis players to share the stories and experiences of our unique sport with the world.

In today’s episode, Abi sits down with Case Western Reserve men’s tennis player Ansh Shah. Since beginning his collegiate career at Case Western Reserve, Ansh has been a part of two ITA National Team Indoor Championships as well as an NCAA Team Championship in 2023, the first for the entire Case Western Reserve athletic department.

While you listen, Ansh and Abi will discuss many different aspects of being a college tennis player, including, why he chose to play at Case Western Reserve, his success on and off the court, and what it is like to balance academics and athletics. We hope you enjoy this inside look into college tennis, and be on the lookout for new episodes every month for the next three months.

ITA Coaches Podcast - The Growth of Wheelchair Tennis with Jason Harnett

Jason Harnett has devoted much of his professional coaching career to the growth and development of Wheelchair tennis in the USA. A former college tennis player at the University of Washington, Jason is now the Director of Wheelchair Tennis at the USTA having coached many of the top US Wheelchair Tennis players in recent decades. The growth of wheelchair tennis providers, wheelchair tennis tournaments, US Open slots and prize money, and collegiate wheelchair tennis programs has been nothing short of remarkable in recent years.

However, with this growth comes a dire need for additional collegiate wheelchair programs across the country so that junior wheelchair players can continue their tennis journey. In this podcast, Jason shares some of his work to date and what steps college coaches could consider to start their own program.

ITA Student-Athlete Podcast - Amelia Rajecki, NC State

Welcome to the very first episode of the ITA Student-Athlete Podcast, with your host Abi Wild, a senior women’s tennis player at Hawaii Pacific University. This podcast was created by college tennis players for college tennis players to share the stories and experiences of our unique sport with the world.

In today’s episode, Abi sits down with NC State women’s tennis senior Amelia Rajecki, who is someone that she has grown up playing tennis with, and against, in England. Since starting her collegiate career at NC State, Amelia has risen to become one of the top players in all of college tennis, being named an ITA All-American in singles and doubles in 2023, while earning a career-high ITA Singles Ranking of No. 3 in the Nov. 15 rankings release.

Over the next hour, Amelia and Abi will discuss many different aspects of being a college tennis player, including, why she chose to come to college America and NC state, her success, and what her plans are next. We hope you enjoy this inside look into college tennis, and be on the lookout for new episodes every month for the next four months.

Learning from Other Olympic Sports - Lindsay Peterson, University of Nebraska

Lindsay Peterson is a former standout player for Nebraska Volleyball helping the team to an NCAA title in 2000. She coached at Northern Colorado and Virginia Tech before taking on the Director of Operations role at the University of Nebraska.

 

Lindsay has enjoyed a front-row seat to the rise in popularity of women’s college volleyball in recent years and in this podcast, Dave and Lindsay discuss the factors that have led to the growth of interest in volleyball and other collegiate women’s sports; how volleyball coaches have helped grow attendance at their matches and the story behind the world record women’s sports attendance record set last year.

Maximizing the ZAMA Health App and Mental Health Advice - Brendan Sullivan & Jon Fagg

Brendan Sullivan, the founder and CEO of the newest ITA partner, ZAMA Health joins Jon Fagg, the UTA Athletic Director and host, Dave Mullins, to discuss how student-athletes and coaches at UTA are maximizing their use of the ZAMA Health app. They discuss some of the key features of the app which is free for all ITA member programs, the current state of intercollegiate athletics and its impact on the mental health of coaches, and several best practices to ensure the safety of student-athletes.

Succession Success: Nadia Abdala, Head Women’s Tennis Coach, University of San Diego

Nadia Abdala was named the head women’s tennis coach at the University of San Diego (USD) after serving 8 years as the assistant coach. She has made an immediate impact as the head coach helping the team jump to another level of competitiveness amongst the best teams in the nation.

 

In this podcast Nadia discusses how she managed her relationships with her players during the transition from assistant coach to head coach, her passion to help women in coaching, and her new favorite drill.