The Baylor Bears men's tennis[a] team represents Baylor University in NCAA Division I college tennis. The team is part of the Big 12 Conference and plays home matches at the Hurd Tennis Center. The Bears are currently led by interim head coach Michael Woodson.
| Baylor Bears men's tennis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1970 |
| University | Baylor University |
| Head coach | Michael Woodson (1st season) |
| Conference | Big 12 |
| Location | Waco, TX |
| Home Court | Hurd Tennis Center |
| Nickname | Bears |
| Colors | Green and gold[1] |
| NCAA Tournament championships | |
| 2004 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 | |
| Conference Tournament championships | |
| 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2019, 2021, 2022 | |
| Conference regular season champions | |
| 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021 | |
History edit
Men's tennis debuted at Baylor University in 1970, but the program did not see continued success until the arrival of Matt Knoll in 1997. After a 13–12 campaign in his inaugural year, Coach Knoll led the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1998. In 2000, the team won its first conference championship. The program defining moment was reached in 2004 when the Bears won their first NCAA championship.[4]
The team has made the NCAA tournament each season since 1998. The Bears have been regular season conference champions 13 times and have gone on to also win the conference tournament in eight of those years.
After Knoll's resignation at the conclusion of the 2017-2018 season, Brian Boland was named director of tennis and head men's tennis coach on May 25, 2018.[5] In July 2020, Boland resigned following an investigation by university officials into inappropriate text messages he had sent to a student who had hoped to join Baylor's women's team.[6]
Stadium edit
Baylor tennis plays their home matches at the Hurd Tennis Center, named after the Hurd family.[7] Opened in 2000, the facility contains 12 outdoor courts, and a clubhouse with offices. The listed capacity of the center is 3,000, including amphitheater seating. There is chair-back seating along the baselines for 1,200. Also, a LED scoreboard has been built in the middle of the front six courts, allowing an easier time for fans to keep track of several matches at once. The Bears also play at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center, completed in 2013. The $7 million building includes six courts and more than 34,000 square-feet of space.
The Hurd Tennis Center has hosted numerous postseason events since its construction, most notably the 2015 NCAA Championships.[8] It has also hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament and the Big 12 Championships.
Year-by-year results (since 1997) edit
| Season | Overall record |
Conference record |
Conference standing |
Postseason | Final nat'l rank |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 13–12 | 3–6 | 8th | None | NR | Big 12 Tournament Quarterfinalists |
| 1998 | 15–9 | 7–2 | T-2nd | NCAA First Round | #26 | Big 12 Tournament Semifinalists |
| 1999 | 25–4 | 7–1 | 2nd | NCAA Elite Eight | #10 | Big 12 Tournament Runner-Up |
| 2000 | 23–6 | 8–0 | 1st | NCAA Round of 16 | #7 | Big 12 Tournament Runner-Up |
| 2001 | 12–12 | 6–2 | 2nd | NCAA First Round | #30 | Big 12 Tournament Semifinalists |
| 2002 | 27–2 | 7–0 | 1st | NCAA Round of 16 | #7 | Big 12 Tournament Champions |
| 2003 | 28–2 | 7–0 | 1st | NCAA Elite Eight | #4 | Big 12 Tournament Champions |
| 2004 | 32–2 | 7–0 | 1st | NCAA National Champions | #1 | Big 12 Tournament Champions |
| 2005 | 33–1 | 7–0 | 1st | NCAA National Runner-Up | #2 | Big 12 Tournament Champions |
| 2006 | 25–7 | 6–1 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | #4 | Big 12 Tournament Runner-Up |
| 2007 | 28–4 | 6–0 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | #4 | Big 12 Tournament Champions |
| 2008 | 25–9 | 5–1 | 1st | NCAA Elite Eight | #8 | Big 12 Tournament Champions |
| 2009 | 26–6 | 6–0 | 1st | NCAA Elite Eight | #7 | Big 12 Tournament Champions |
| 2010 | 24–7 | 4–2 | 3rd | NCAA Elite Eight | #7 | Big 12 Tournament Semifinalists |
| 2011 | 22–5 | 6–0 | 1st | NCAA Round of 16 | #6 | Big 12 Tournament Champions |
| 2012 | 19–12 | 3–2 | 3rd | NCAA Round of 16 | #18 | Big 12 Tournament Runner-Up |
| 2013 | 22–6 | 5–0 | 1st | NCAA Round of 16 | #13 | Big 12 Tournament Runner-Up |
| 2014 | 26–6 | 4–1 | 1st | NCAA Elite Eight | #6 | Big 12 Tournament Champions |
| 2015 | 25-6 | 4–1 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | #3 | Big 12 Tournament Runner-Up |
| 2016 | 16-14 | 1-4 | 5th | NCAA Second Round | #32 | Big 12 Tournament Semifinalists |
| 2017 | 23-8 | 2-3 | 3rd | NCAA Round of 16 | #9 | Big 12 Tournament Quarterfinalists |
| 2018 | 21-10 | 1-4 | 5th | NCAA Second Round | #17 | Big 12 Tournament Runner-Up |
| TOTALS | 510-150 | 112-30 |
Former players edit
Footnotes edit
References edit
- ^ Baylor University Athletics Brand Identity (PDF). April 15, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ Quillen, Kurtis (September 3, 2021). "Baylor University to drop 'Lady Bears' nickname from women's teams". Temple, TX: KCEN-TV. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ Voepel, Mechelle (September 4, 2021). "Baylor women's hoops drops 'Lady' from team name, to be known as Bears". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ "MEN'S TENNIS CLAIMS BAYLOR'S FIRST TEAM NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP". baylorbears.com. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "BOLAND NAMED DIRECTOR OF TENNIS AND HEAD MEN'S TENNIS COACH". baylorbears.com. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ Witherspoon, Tommy (August 21, 2020). "Baylor tennis coach's resignation followed investigation of messages to student". Waco Tribune-Herald.
- ^ "TENNIS CENTER TO BE RENAMED IN HONOR OF HURD FAMILY". baylorbears.com. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "Baylor makes history in hosting NCAA Tennis Championships". baylor.edu. 14 May 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2018.