Patty Fendick-McCain
The 2012-13 campaign will mark coach Patty Fendick-McCain's eighth season at The University of Texas. Fendick-McCain was named Texas' head coach on July 12, 2005, and replaced longtime UT coach Jeff Moore, who chartered Texas Tennis to national acclaim for 23 years prior to stepping down in June of 2005.
Fendick-McCain brought an impressive resume to the Forty Acres. Playing under her maiden name (Fendick), she starred as an NCAA singles champion and national player of the year while at Stanford University. She then went on to incredible success in professional tennis before turning her talents to the collegiate coaching ranks as head coach at the University of Washington.
Fendick-McCain's seventh season at Texas produced a No. 10 final national ranking, an appearance in the round of 16 at the NCAA Championship and a Big 12 Championship. The 2012Longhorns finishedwith a 19-8 overall record and tied for second place in the Big 12 Conference final regular-season standings. Texas went on to win its first Big 12 Championship since 2005, as the Horns topped host Texas A&M in the tournament finals, 4-2. Texas defeated Wichita State and Nebraska at the NCAA Championship to reach the NCAA round of 16 for the third timein the last five seasons.
Under Fendick-McCain's tutelage, Aeriel Ellis finished the 2012 season by earning ITA singles All-America honors for asecond consecutive year, which made her just the 10th Longhorn to earn multiple ITA singles All-America honors. Ellis also was therecipient of the ITA/Cissie LearyNational Award for Sportsmanship. Ellis and Krista Damico earned All-Big 12 singles honors, while Lina Padegimaite and Noel Scott earned All-Big 12 doubles honors. Cierra Gaytan-Leach,ElizabethBegley and Padegimaite each wonBig 12 individualtitles at their respective singles positions.
Fendick-McCain's fifth season at Texas resulted in a trip to the NCAA round of 16 and another appearance in the finals of the 2010 Big 12 Championship. The Horns advanced to the NCAA round of 16 with victories over Wichita State and Arkansas. Freshman Aeriel Ellis flourished under Fendick-McCain's tutelage, as he was selected as the ITA Texas Region Rookie of the Year and the Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year. Ellis qualified for all three national championship events as a freshman.
In Fendick-McCain's fourth season at Texas, the Longhorns reached the round of 32 at the 2009 NCAA Championships defeating Pepperdine in the opening round of the NCAA Championships in Berkeley, Calif. UT suffered a 4-1 defeat to ninth-seeded California in the round of 32. Fendick-McCain also led Texas to the finals at the Big 12 Championships, as UT finished the season with a 17-8 overall record and a 10-1 mark in conference play.
The 2008 season marked UT's return to the NCAA round of 16. The Longhorns opened the NCAA Championships with a 4-0 win over South Florida in Tallahassee, Fla., before upsetting 15th-seeded Florida State on its home courts, 5-2. Texas met second-seeded Georgia Tech in the round of 16 where UT took a 2-0 lead before falling to the Yellow Jackets, 4-2.
Texas ended the 2008 season with a 20-7 overall record and a 10-1 mark in conference play. UT reached the finals of the Big 12 Championships for a fifth straight season after defeating Kansas State and Texas A&M in the opening rounds. Sophomore Vanja Corovic and senior Courtney Zauft earned All-Big 12 singles honors, and junior Marija Milic joined Corovic on the All-Big 12 doubles team.
In 2007, Texas reached a NCAA regional final for a fourth consecutive season and also claimed a share of the Big 12 Conference regular season championship. UT defeated UC-Irvine by a 4-0 count in the opening round of the NCAA Tennis Championships before falling to USC in the NCAA round of 32 in Los Angeles.
With a final overall record of 16-10, Texas concluded Big 12 play at 10-1 to earn a share of its eighth Big 12 Conference title. The Longhorns also reached the finals of the Big 12 Championships for a fourth consecutive season after defeating Texas Tech and Texas A&M in the opening rounds.
Freshman Vanja Corovic completed a banner season in 2007 and was selected as the Big 12 Conference Freshman and Newcomer of the Year. Corovic and freshman Stephanie Davison earned All-Big 12 singles honors, and sophomore Marija Milic joined Corovic as an All-Big 12 doubles selection.
Fendick-McCain's 2006 Texas squad totaled an 18-12 record and reached the finals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships and the Big 12 Championships. Senior Mia Marovic, junior Petra Dizdar and sophomore Courtney Zauft each received All-Big 12 honors.
Fendick-McCain brought an impressive resume to the Forty Acres. Playing under her maiden name (Fendick), she starred as an NCAA singles champion and national player of the year while at Stanford University. She then went on to incredible success in professional tennis before turning her talents to the collegiate coaching ranks as head coach at the University of Washington.
Fendick-McCain came to UT after a distinguished eight years as Washington's women's head coach (1997-2005). During this time, she led Washington to eight straight NCAA Championship appearances, including quarterfinal (final eight) showings in 2001 and 2004 and round of 16 finishes three times. Again, Fendick-McCain was named the 2004 ITA National Coach of the Year..
Playing in the highly-competitive Pac-10 Conference, Washington also tied for second in the league twice (2001 and 2003). Her UW student-athletes gained 12 All-America honors and 19 Pac-10 All-Academic honors, while all eight of her Husky teams were singled out for ITA All-Academic Team awards. Prior to Fendick-McCain's arrival at UW, the program had made only one NCAA tourney showing and had not had an All-American performer.
Fendick-McCain has demonstrated commitment to the success of her athletes both on and off the court and she looks forward to continuing that practice at Texas.
"I am extremely excited to be coming to The University of Texas and being part of the Longhorn tradition," noted Fendick-McCain upon her hire. "This is an incredible new challenge for me and signals a new life chapter for my family. The legacy that Jeff Moore has left, and the standard of excellence that he and the UT program set in the classroom and on the court, is something I am looking forward to continuing.
"There is a tremendous tradition of excellence in academics and athletics at Texas. I look forward to the opportunity to work in this great Longhorns athletic program and welcome the opportunity that living in Austin presents for our family."
Her 2004 Washington squad went 21-6 and finished the year ranked No. 9 nationally as she claimed National Coach of the Year honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). In 2005, the Huskies were 15-9 and advanced to the NCAA Championship second round. Three of her UW teams finished the year ranked by the ITA in the top 11 nationally: in 2003 (6th), 2004 (9th) and 2001 (11th).
Fendick-McCain led UW to an overall dual-meet record of 124-66 in her tenure. For her efforts, she was selected as Northwest Region Coach of the Year in 2001, 2003 and 2004 and as the Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2003.
Prior to her first collegiate coaching position at UW, Fendick-McCain starred in collegiate and professional tennis. A four-year standout at Stanford from 1983-87, she claimed the NCAA Division I singles championship as a junior and senior in 1986 and 1987, while leading Stanford to NCAA team championships in 1984, 1986 and 1987. She also was a 1985 NCAA singles semifinalist and a 1987 NCAA doubles finalist.
Fendick-McCain also set the NCAA record for consecutive victories at the number one singles position (57) during her Stanford career. That record stood from 1987 until 2001. Ironically, Fendick-McCain's first NCAA singles title was won in Austin, as UT was host of the NCAA National Championships at the then-brand new Penick-Allison Tennis Center - the Longhorns' current facility.
Fendick-McCain was the recipient of three prestigious awards as a senior in 1987: the Honda Broderick Cup as National Women's Tennis Player of the Year; Tennis Magazine's College Player of the Year; and the Arthur Ashe Award for Sportsmanship. She also was singled out as the MVP of the NCAA's "All-Decade Team" for the 1980's and also was Stanford's "Player of the Decade" for the 1980's.
Fendick-McCain was inducted into the Stanford Hall of Fame in 2003. In the spring of 2006, Fendick-McCain was named the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Most Outstanding Student-Athlete in the 25-year history of NCAA women's tennis.
She turned professional full time in 1987 and starred on the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) Tour. Before stepping away from the WTA Tour in 1995, she ranked as high as fourth in doubles and 19th in singles, winning 26 doubles titles and three singles championships in the process.
In her pro doubles career, Fendick-McCain had nine Grand Slam semifinal and final appearances. Fendick-McCain captured the 1991 Australian Open doubles title alongside Mary Jo Fernandez. Other highlights of her professional doubles career included appearances in the finals of the Australian Open (1989, 1990 and 1994) and in the finals of the 1988 U.S. Open. In singles, she advanced to the round of 16 or better seven times, including a quarterfinal appearance at the 1990 Australian Open.
A two-time member of the U.S. Federation Cup Team and U.S. Wightman Cup Team (1988 and 1990), Fendick-McCain also earned five Virginia Slims Championships in doubles in 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992 and 1994. In 1988, she earned Tennis Magazine's Professional Rookie of the Year honor, and in 1992 was named World Team Tennis Rookie of the Year.
Fendick-McCain currently serves on the USTA (United States Tennis Association) Executive Committee and Collegiate Committee. She still actively competes at a high level, having reached the finals of the U.S. Open Master's mixed doubles competition in both 2000 and 2001.
The Sacramento, Calif., native earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Stanford in 1987 and is completing her thesis for a master's in education at St. Mary's (Calif.). She is married to Scott McCain, a former ATP Tour player who currently coaches on the men's professional tour. The couple resides in Austin with their two daughters, Keegan (born May 23, 2001) and Hayley (born December 17, 2002) and son, Sean (born March 16, 2006).
