Three Locals Headline USTA Collegiate National Team
Loeb, Rubin and Elbaba earn prestigious honor
The USTA has announced that 2015 NCAA singles champions Jamie Loeb, of the University of North Carolina, and Ryan Shane, of the University of Virginia, headline the top American collegians named to the 2015 USTA Collegiate National Team, the high-level training program designed to help America’s premier college players assimilate to professional tennis in a team-oriented environment.
The 2015 USTA Collegiate National Team:
Men
â–ºMackenzie McDonald, UCLA, Sophomore, Piedmont, Calif.
â–ºNoah Rubin, Wake Forest, Freshman, Rockville Centre, N.Y.
â–ºRyan Shane, Virginia, Junior, Falls Church, Va.
Women
â–ºBrooke Austin, Florida, Fr., Indianapolis, Ind.
â–ºJennifer Brady, UCLA, Soph., Boca Raton, Fla.
â–ºJulia Elbaba, Virginia, Jr., Oyster Bay, N.Y.
â–ºJamie Loeb, North Carolina, Soph., Ossining, N.Y.
Both Rubin and Brady have indicated that they intend to turn pro.
Several coaches will accompany Collegiate National Team players as they play professional tournaments on the USTA Pro Circuit this summer. The men’s coaches are Oklahoma associate head coach Bo Hodge, Georgia Tech assistant coach Derek Schwandt and Christian Groh, personal coach of former world number two Tommy Haas. The women’s coaches are Princeton head coach Laura Granville, Davidson head coach Sara Anundsen, TCU head coach Lee Taylor Walker and Columbia assistant coach Riza Zalameda.
"These players have excelled in college tennis and USTA Player Development is proud to support them not only in their quest to be successful professionals, but with the belief that they will be future leaders of American tennis,” said Stephen Amritraj, USTA National Coach, Collegiate Tennis.
This year’s team was open to rising freshmen through rising seniors who met at least one of the following criteria: NCAA singles champion; highest-ranked American in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s final singles rankings; ITA Rookie of the Year; ITA All-American singles champion; USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships singles champion; pro ranking inside the Top 600 (men) or Top 400 (women) from September through April.
Additionally, the USTA will provide support, via grant money or other resources, to top American collegians not on the Collegiate National Team.
“It is of vital importance that college tennis remains a strong part of the professional tennis player pathway,” said USTA Player Development General Manager Martin Blackman. “Therefore, USTA Player Development will continue to provide America’s top college players with the resources to help them make the transition from college to successful pro careers.”
