There are over 70 public, private, and community colleges in Florida, and over half offer collegiate tennis. With hundreds of Florida players competing for National Championships and receiving an education, everything is overseen by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).
“College tennis is strong,” said Intercollegiate Tennis Association Chief Executive Officer Dr. Timothy Russell, “especially in Florida where there are a total of 61 men’s and women’s varsity program across four divisions.”
Founded in 1956 by UCLA men’s tennis coach, J.D. Morgan, the ITA has been a key part in advancing collegiate tennis in the United States. The ITA is the governing body of college tennis, which organizes men’s and women’s tennis for NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, and Community Colleges.
“College tennis is a vehicle for higher education and the connective tissue for American tennis. It is an aspirational goal of junior tennis players in Florida, across the country, and around the world that ultimately provides them with a college education, while also serving as a viable high-performance pathway to success in life…a possible career in tennis…and for some as a professional tennis player,” added Russell.
When it comes to competition, the ITA sticks out as the front runner for many major collegiate national championships. Spread across the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter seasons, the ITA hosts many team and individual events.
With the 2024 ITA Spring Championship off and running, there are a handful of Florida teams that are looking to make some noise in both Men’s and Women’s tennis this year. In the NAIA Men’s and Women’s Indoor Team Championships, Southeastern University (Lakeland), was one of the final eight teams for both divisions. In the Women’s draw they made the final four, before falling to Xaiver. St Thomas University (Miami) was also a final eight team for the Women’s draw.
In Division I, The University of Florida Women’s team made it to the Round of 16, where they fell to Stanford. For Division II, Barry University won the Men’s Championship for the second time ever!
In addition to competitions, the ITA provides support for all college tennis programs, coaches, and players. This includes educational workshops, coaching certification programs, and access to training and development opportunities. The USTA and its sections also work closely with the ITA to assist in any means necessary and works to promote the values of sportsmanship, integrity, and teamwork within the collegiate tennis community.
Overall, collegiate tennis in Florida has become a staple for tennis excellence at this level. While on- court success has been captured with National Championships from schools such as the University of Florida for Men’s and Women’s, Barry University, which has won 4 straight Men’s NCAA Titles, and 6 in Women’s, Embry-Riddle winning an NAIA Championship a couple years back, Florida collegiate tennis is thriving off the courts as well.
In 2023, women tennis athletes had a graduation rate of 97% across the country, while men posted a 93% rate. Both of those numbers are up 10% in the last decade. Within the state, last year the University of Florida, had a 100% graduation rate for all Men and Women tennis athletes. In the last 10 years, the University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, Barry University, Florida State University, and many more of the 61 programs in the state have posted perfect graduation rates.
While the ITA and USTA are helping give players a platform to compete on, they are working tirelessly to support these student-athletes and make sure they can be successful when their playing careers may end.
