Thursday, 04/30/2009

FORT WORTH, Texas – TCU women’s tennis head coach Jefferson Hammond was named the 2009 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year, the league announced Thursday. The honor marks the second award in as many years for Hammond, as he also earned the accolade last season.

The Indianapolis, Ind., native becomes the first back-to-back winner in MWC history for women’s tennis. TCU has earned Coach of the Year honors in three of the four years it has been in the MWC. Dave Borelli claimed the award in 2006, while Hammond has the achievement in each of the last two seasons. Only Craig Manning (3) of BYU has won the award more than Hammond.
 
Now in his third season at the helm of the TCU program, Hammond also led the Frogs to the women’s tournament title at the 2009 MWC Tennis Championships and their sixth-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Team Championships. Hammond garnered his second consecutive MWC Women’s Coach of the Year accolade after guiding the 28th-ranked Horned Frogs to a 16-10 overall record and a 7-1 mark in MWC matches during the regular-season. Fourteen teams from the Frogs’ regular season schedule qualified for the NCAA Team Championships.

The Coach of the Year award adds to a growing list of postseason honors for TCU. Senior Macall Harkins, sophomore Katariina Tuohimaa and freshman Kayla Duncan earned all-conference singles honors from the league, while Tuohimaa and Duncan were also tabbed for all-MWC doubles accolades.

TCU will open the NCAA Team Championships against No. 36 Tulsa in Fayetteville, Ark., at Noon on May 9. Fans can follow the live action at GoFrogs.com.