Coed Teams from Dartmouth and Brown Advance to the 2009 USTA National Campus Championship, April 16-18 in Surprise, Arizona
Westborough, MASS.– Dartmouth defeated Brown 24-23 in the finals this past weekend at the USTA New England Campus Championship earning both teams an automatic berth into the National Championship to be held in Surprise, Ariz.
The USTA Campus Championships are the culmination of the Tennis On Campus season which features co-ed teams participating in intramural and intercollegiate (sport club) play at nearly 500 colleges and universities nationwide. The Tennis On Campus program was designed to provide college students with opportunities for team camaraderie, social networking and rivaled competition, without the rigors of a varsity program. Perfect for athletes who have chosen not to make the jump from high school to college varsity, Tennis On Campus offers match play, regional and national championship possibilities while helping students maintain active and healthy lifestyles through their college years.
Dartmouth took on Harvard in their semi-final, while Brown took on the Eagles Club Tennis team from Boston College in their semi-final.
As the USTA New England Section Champions and Runners-Up, both Dartmouth and Brown will advance to the USTA National Campus Championship, to be held April 16-18, 2009 in Surprise, Arizona. The two teams will be joined by 37 other USTA Campus Championship place-winners, as well as 25 other teams entering the tournament through an at-large selection process.
"The USTA is very proud of all the teams that came out to participate this weekend," said Deirdre McCormack, Director of Community Tennis. "It was great to see such a tremendous amount of enthusiasm from the students this year. We wish the best of luck to the two teams that will be advancing to the National Championship, and urge all the other teams to submit their at-large applications soon."
This year’s 3rd annual USTA New England Campus Championship drew 12 teams from 12 colleges and universities: Brown, Boston College, Dartmouth College, Harvard, Northeastern, Trinity College, Tufts University, UCONN, UMASS Amherst, University of Vermont, WPI, and Yale. More than 100 students participated.
With approximately 350,000 students playing high school tennis nationwide and only 6% of those having an opportunity to play college varsity tennis, the USTA Tennis On Campus program fills a tremendous void in organized tennis play on campuses around the country.
The USTA New England Campus Championship is administered by the United States Tennis Association (USTA); United States Tennis Association, USTA New England; and World Team Tennis (WTT). This partnership has not only resulted in record participation at section championships, but also in growing interest and participation in club and intramural tennis on college campuses throughout New England.
As part of the Tennis On Campus season, all 17 USTA sections hold championships, with the winner and second place finisher of each receiving an automatic bid to the 2009 USTA National Campus Championship. The inaugural USTA National Campus Championship, held in 2000, featured a total of 10 teams, while the 2007 championship capped out at 64 teams.