ITA Women’s Chps. to Join Men’s Event in Tulsa
October 11, 2018
TULSA, Okla. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association, University of Tulsa and Tulsa Sports Commission announced that beginning in 2019, the ITA Women’s All-American Championships will join the ITA Men’s All-American Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with tournament matches taking place at multiple sites, including the Michael D. Case Tennis Center and the new Case Tennis Center at LaFortune Park, recent winner of the USTA’s 2018 National Facility of the Year.
“The ITA All-American Championships possess a rich history in our sport. Many outstanding former champions have used their ITA All-American Championships victories to springboard them to amazing collegiate and professional careers,” said ITA Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Russell. “We are excited to work alongside the University of Tulsa and Tulsa Sports Commission to expand the ITA All-American Championships and aggregate our sport to a dual-gender event. Having the women and men competing in the same location opens the door to new and exciting ways of promoting our outstanding student-athletes and coaches, while also shining a light on Tulsa as a truly great American tennis city. We look forward to putting on a major event of great distinction for our participants, coaches and fans.”
“The opportunity to host both the women’s and men’s ITA All-American Championships is tremendous for our city and University,” said Tulsa’s Senior Associate Athletic Director, Director of Tennis and Men’s Head Coach, Vince Westbrook. “Tulsans have seen the top men’s collegiate student-athletes each fall for the past 14 years of hosting the men’s championship, and now will have the chance to see the best of women’s college tennis as well.”
The ITA All-American Championships feature the top Division I collegiate tennis players vying for singles and doubles ITA National Championships. Qualifying rounds are contested, allowing competitors the opportunity to play their way into the Main Draw, which will feature draw sizes of 64 (singles) and 32 (doubles) for the men and women.
The University of Tulsa has served as the host institution for the ITA Men’s All-American Championships for 14 consecutive years, while the ITA Women’s All-American Championships enjoyed a 34-year run at the Riviera Country Club. Coupling the two championships together will make Tulsa the epicenter for premier Division I fall tennis competition during a near two-week stretch of the fall collegiate tennis schedule.