US College Signings 2017 (and general college tennis chat)

Spectator · All-time great

US College Signings 2017 (and general college tennis chat)

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

That's correct. Can't claim to know much about Div 3 but Ivy League universities don't provide sports scholarships but claim that no suitable applicant will be prevented from attending on the basis of financial need. This means those on the sports teams have had to make the academic level of any other entrant (ie were academically Ivy League standard irrespective of their sporting prowess) - although when places are limited, being good enough for the varsity team in your sport may raise your application above others of a similar standard. So huge hats off to those Brits who have secured a place on an Ivy League team.

Strongbow · All-time great

The Knight wrote:
Forgive me if this has been asked before, but I've always been curious about the status of UK college players regarding tuition. Are some/all/none on scholarships? Do any get help from the LTA or is it all off their own backs? Also wondering what

I've wondered a bit about this too! All the answers see to be about the US. Would be nice to have a bit of compare and contrast. confuse

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

Sorry, read this to mean UK college players in the States as opposed to UK college players in the UK

UK unis in general don't offer reductions in tuition fees for sporting prowess. However I believe Bath, Loughborough and Stirling (not aware of any others) have schemes to help with sports expenses. There is also a scheme run by Sport England called TASS - Talented Athlete Support Scheme. Think Mark Whitehouse benefitted from this at Imperial. Believe it helps with competition expenses. Don't really know how many athletes it supports or what the criteria are for getting on the scheme.

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

The various regional competitions run over the next fortnight. Winners of a regional event get to take part in the National Indoor Championships. The Mountain Region women kicked off yesterday in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Singles

R128

Milena Achlamov (Nevada) bt Rafaella Mora (Northern Colorado) 4-6, 6-1, 7-5

Louise Ronaldson (Colorado) bt Morgan Barnhill (Denver) 6-4, 6-2

Hanneke Lodweijks (Northern Arizona) bt Beth Coton (Northern Colorado) 6-4, 7-5

Polina Malykh (Brigham Young) bt Kirsty Venter (Boise State) 6-4, 6-4

Dubs

These are played as an extended set, first to 8 games with a tie-break if it gets to 7-all

R64

Maureen Slattery / Gracia Mboko (Denver) bt Beth Coton / Courtney Schulte (Northern Colorado) 8-6

Natella Nabieva / Demi Perkinson (Brigham Young) bt Rafaella Mora / Marissa Baca (Northern Colorado) 8-4

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

Another high-level college event kicks off today - The Oracle ITA Masters. This is a newish event - only in its 2nd year I think. Last year it was an invited draw of 16 players - presumably based on college rankings. This year the draw has been extended to 32 and the event publicity claims the draw is made up of an invited player from every Div 1 conference. This can't be quite right though as there are 2 Brits in the draw from Memphis. Maybe it's the top players and then the top player from each conference not already represented? Anyway there is a men's event (several Brits playing), a women's event (no Brits playing) and a mixed doubles event (several male Brits playing). Interestingly seeding has been done using UTR (Oracle are involved in the UTR enterprise). Matches are being streamed on FloTennis.com

I'll post results up as they become available.

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

Women's Mountain Regionals (part 2)

Singles

R64

Louise Ronaldson (Colorado) bt Milou Pietersz (Texas-El Paso) 6-4, 6-2

R32

Aiwen Zhu (Nevada-Las Vegas) bt Louise Ronaldson (Colorado) 6-1, 6-0

Dubs

R32

Nuria Ormeno-Ruiz / Louise Ronaldson (Colorado) bt Raven Bennett / Lois Wagenvoort (Texas-El Paso) 8-5

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

The Women's Central Regionals started yesterday in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Singles

R256

Joely Lomas (Drake) bt Molly Crum (South Dakota State) 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-0

R128

Elise Van Heuvelen (Iowa) bt Allison Quammen (Arkansas State) 6-0, 6-1

Iva Bago (Kansas State) by Joely Lomas (Drake) 7-5,(5), 2-6, 6-0

Mary Hanna (Nebraska) bt Maria Pandya (South Dakota) 6-1, 6-0

Serena Nash (Oklahoma) bt Savanna Hunt (Northern Iowa) 6-0, 6-2

Ellie Burns (South Dakota) bt Montana Crawford (Iowa) 6-4, 0-6, 6-0

Zoe Douglas (Iowa) bt Simran Sethi (Oklahoma) 6-4, 6-2

Millie Stretton (Kansas) bt Kenya Williams (Drake) 6-3, 6-4

Mimi Fotopoulos (Oklahoma) bt Athena Chrysanthou (Southern Illinois) 6-3, 6-2

-- Edited by The Optimist on Friday 14th of October 2016 02:45:13 PM

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

Men's Northwest Regionals started yesterday at Berkeley, California

Singles

R128

Rob Dula (Eastern Washington) bt Chris Clayton (Sacramento State) 6-1, 7-5

Youssef Hassan (Fresno State) bt Mikus Losbergs (Sacramento State) 6-3, 6-3

Samuel Felt (Gonzaga) bt Ross Watson (Pacific) 6-3, 6-3

Donald Hall (Sacramento State) bt Piers Foley (Washington) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3

R64

Euan McIntosh (Fresno State) bt Andrew Gu (Santa Clara) 6-1, 6-3

Youssef Hassan (Fresno State) bt Tommy Lam (UC Davis) 6-3, 6-4

Dubs

R64

Miguel Diaz / Ross Watson (Pacific) bt Brandon Sutter / Michael Genender (Stanford) 8-7(6)

-- Edited by The Optimist on Friday 14th of October 2016 02:36:18 PM

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

The Optimist wrote:
Another high-level college event kicks off today - The Oracle ITA Masters. This is a newish event - only in its 2nd year I think. Last year it was an invited draw of 16 players - presumably based on college rankings. This year the draw has been extended to 32 and the event publicity claims the draw is made up of an invited player from every Div 1 conference. This can't be quite right though as there are 2 Brits in the draw from Memphis. Maybe it's the top players and then the top player from each conference not already represented? Anyway there is a men's event (several Brits playing), a women's event (no Brits playing) and a mixed doubles event (several male Brits playing). Interestingly seeding has been done using UTR (Oracle are involved in the UTR enterprise). Matches are being streamed on FloTennis.com
I'll post results up as they become available.

Results from the first day's play

Mens Singles

R32

Jack Findel-Hawkins (North Florida) bt Lautara Pane (Pepperdine) 6-4, 6-2

Ryan Peniston (Memphis) bt Michael Nguyen (Army) 6-2, 6-4

Diogo Rocha (Denver) bt Andrew Watson (Memphis) 6-0, 6-3

William Bushamuka (Kentucky) bt Vinny Gillespie (Drake) 6-1, 3-6, 6-4

Ryotaro Matsumura (Kentucky) bt Jacob Whalley (Fairleigh Dickson) 6-1, 6-0

Mixed Dubs (one set)

R32

Gabriela Porubin / Vinny Gillespie (Wichita State/Drake) bt Lauren Proctor / Jack Findel-Hawkins (Winthrop/North Florida) 6-4

Laura Gulbe / Lautaro Pane (Pepperdine) bt Ariadna Blinova / Ryan Peniston (Akron/Memphis) 6-3

Sara Daavettila / Gage Brymer (North Carolina/UCLA) bt Shreya Pasricha / Jacob Whalley (Fairleigh Dickson) 6-4

Blair Shankle / Max Tchoutakian (Baylor) bt Lidia Yanes-Garcia / Andrew Watson (Austin Peay/Memphis) 6-0

Kenneth · Lower Club Player

The Optimist wrote:
All of them (or 99.9%) will be on scholarships. Most of the women will be on 100% and generally the men on less. This is because by law US educational establishments have to divide any given category of scholarship (music, academic, sport) equally between the sexes. Given that most colleges run football and/or baseball teams which have huge men only squads, there are more scholarships available in the minor sports for women than men. The guys can often get top-up scholarships from a different category, usually academic but, unless a real junior phenom, rarely get to 100%. A 100% scholarship usually covers academic tuition, all requirements for the sport (coaching, clothing, equipment, transport to and accommodation at off campus events etc), accommodation, food (or a significant contribution towards it), text books and often varions sundry items such as school bags etc. In addition, Div 1 schools now have to pay a $500 per month cost of living payment to cover incidental expenses. This is a fairly recent development and came about as a basketball player made an off the cuff comment to a local newspaper about struggling to get enough to eat as his family were very poor and he didn't have any cash at all to top up with extra food beyond college meals, unlike his teammates with more affluent circumstances. It got picked up by the national press and, given that basketball generally generates quite a lot of cash for colleges, became a bit of cause celebre. As a result the NCAA (which governs top level college sport) announced that all athletes should receive this payment.

When did this $500 a month come in as it's news to me? Is it all Div 1 or just the Super Conferences?

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

It was implemented in the last academic year for the first time, initially in the power conferences but I thought it was now in all Div 1 schools but wouldn't like to be quoted on that. Not sure if $500 is the maximum that can be paid, an average or a suggested amount - the NCAA rules are as clear as mud and make lots of references to member universities' discretion...

It's called the cost of attendance allowance if you want to try looking it up.

-- Edited by The Optimist on Friday 14th of October 2016 09:31:50 PM

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Ridiculous really when some of the athletes playing football and basketball generate TV revenue and ticket sales that compare with the top football leagues in Europe bar the premier league, bundeslega and la liga. For example Norte Dame have an annual contract with NBC of $15,000,000 on top of that comes ticket sales 7-8 home games sold out 80k capacity stadium plus merchandising and food etc.... And the players get $500 a month!

It's a racket!

Kenneth · Lower Club Player

If these players then move to the NFL they get massive contracts. If they paid the football/basketball teams then funding for other sports would collapse as they all run at huge cost and no income, bar some generous Alumni etc.

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

Women's Mountain Regionals (Part 3)

Dubs

R16

Nuria Ormeno Ruiz / Louise Ronaldson (Colorado) bt Sheila Morales / Blaga Delic (Nevada) 8-3

QF

Taylor Carlton / Jena Cheng (Utah) bt Nuria Ormeno Ruiz / Louise Ronaldson (Colorado) 8-7(4)

No more British interest here