WELCOME TO UCI MEN’S TENNIS

I am proud of what UCI and our tennis program has achieved and has to offer: national caliber tennis, world class academics, great academic support for student athletes, beautiful coastal climate, and team of guys who care a lot about each other and winning. If it sounds too good to be true, you’ll have to find out for yourself. In fact, because of how great it is here I can say that I never intend on going anywhere else—as a coach and player I have been to many colleges and countries and you cannot beat this area and what UCI has to offer as a total package. Whether its preparation for the pro tour or the private sector, or just having a collegiate experience that you’ll always remember, UCI is a great place to be.

NATIONAL CALIBER TENNIS

UCI Men’s Tennis has established itself as one of the top NCAA programs in the nation. Since UCI began, just a short 34 years ago, we have won six national championships in the NCAA collegiate division, appearing in the NCAA Tournament or Regionals eight times in the last 12 years. The team made the semifinals in 1989 with the team’s highest ranking of No. 3. The team as maintained excellence, being ranked in the nation’s top 30 in 14 of the past 16 years. UCI has produced 44 All Americans, 11 Big West Conference Team Titles, 90 league champions, 62 Big West Scholar-Athletes and seven Conference Player of the Year Awards. We have also won many national and regional awards such as the National Senior Player of the Year and the Von Nostrand Award for the most promising player to enter the pro tour, and most recently the Sportsmanship Award and the Academic All-American Award. Our alum consistently graduate and go on to play the tour with in some fashion. Some of our alumni have achieved #120 ATP singles and #3 ATP doubles rankings.

Our schedule is among the toughest in the NCAA because our region (8) is one of the top 2 toughest regions in the NCAA. We play mostly ranked teams: roughly twenty-five percent of the schedule are top 20 teams, fifty percent are top 60 and the rest a mixture of lower ranked or emerging teams. This, combined with more open tournaments than you can imagine and top national level tournaments that we host at UCI (the ITA Regional, UCI Sheraton Classic etc.), you will compete against many of the best players continually.

WORLD CLASS ACADEMICS AND SUPPORT

Again, in just 30 plus years, UCI has become one of the best academic institutions in the country and world. Recently two professors were awarded the Noble prize in chemistry and physics. The list goes on with the number of highly respected professors leading the various academic units on campus. UCI was recently ranked in the top 12 of all public institutions in the country. Of all universities (private or public) it was in the top 45!! UCI is part of the UC system which is the "Ivy League" of public schools.

The superior academics could be intimidating, but the team and athletic department are very unified in efforts to be sure every student does well. Our student-athletes’ average GPAs are higher than the school average. This is due to several factors: we attract dedicated, disciplined athletes who’s discipline carries over into their studies; our athletic department is very hands on in providing assistance where needed (especially if incoming student athletes struggled in their school work), and the administration knows every student/athlete by name and cares about how they are doing. You will succeed. I have yet to have any alumni who are not doing exceptionally well in the work force following graduation or the tour.

COASTAL CLIMATE/OUTDOOR TENNIS YEAR-ROUND

UCI rests in the foothills just a couple of miles inland from the ocean. The climate is mild Mediterranean with very little rain and warm enough year round that every day of the year you will find people riding bikes, sailing, running and numerous outdoor activities: even in the coldest months (December through February) you can practice in shorts and no shirt. Some of the team members live on the beach (their front door is ten feet from the sand) with plenty to do at the beach or inland if you have the time or desire. We are forty-five miles south of Los Angeles and 90 miles north of San Diego. You do not feel the congestion of the big city, yet if you want to go to LA, the mountains, the desert, or the beach—you could do all that in one day easily—then you could come back to Irvine and be right at home. Most alumni stay on in the area because of its beauty and the opportunities here.

Thank you for considering UCI. Please contact me if you have any questions. Check out our new web site! It’s being updated for this year’s squad but it will give you a good idea about the program, area, and university.

Sincerely, 

Steve Clark

UCI Head Men’s Tennis Coach

949-824-8366 · srclark@uci.edu

Helpful Links

The following links are valuable tools for the recruiting process. While the information is provided here for your use it should not be relied upon as the only source of information.

UCI General Catalogue: Everything you want to know about the University of California, Irvine.

UCI Admission Information: helpful information on what you will need for admission into the university

College Bound Student Athlete: The NCAA's College Bound Student-Athlete site contains information on academic eligibility, NCAA Clearinghouse, Letters of Intent and much more.

UCI Athletic Academic Services: Athletic Academic Services provides a wealth of information for both incoming and current student-athletes.

Pathways OnLine Undergraduate Admissions Information: At Pathways you will find information about undergraduate admissions and the Application Center, where you will receive helpful information on applications policies and procedures.

Prospective Students from Other Countries: The University of California welcomes students from other countries and this site provides important information on applying for admission, English Language Requirements, Finances and much more.

Financial Aid: If you will be seeking financial aid, this is the place to start your information quest.

Educational Testing Service: The Educational Testing Service provides information on SAT I and SAT II tests, test dates, fees, registration etc.