Macom Earns College Tennis Coach Of the Year Honor

By  //  June 21, 2012

Outstanding Work

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – For the second time in three seasons, Florida Tech head men’s and women’s tennis coach Bill Macom has been named United States Professional Tennis Association College Coach of the Year for the Florida Division.

Bill Macom is the head men's and women's tennis coach for Florida Tech. (Image courtesy Florida Tech)

Macom previously earned the award in 2010.

“It is certainly an honor to receive this award among all these excellent Florida USPTA members,” he said. “I was able to spend some quality time with many of them this month and gained some valuable information for the upcoming year.”

In his seventh season, Macom guided the men’s team to 14 wins, which was a seven-win improvement from 2011.

Newcomer Nicolas Clerc was a standout performer as a sophomore with a record of 18-3 overall and 17-1 at No. 1 singles. He teamed up with Jorge Abarca Montero to form a No. 1 doubles team that went 18-3 on the season.

Freshman Beau Fieldsend also excelled in his first season, posting 15 wins in singles and a 12-4 mark with D.J. Pate at No. 3 doubles foer the Panthers.

Women’s Team Soars

Macom’s work with the women’s team led the Panthers to their fourth straight NCAA Division II Championship appearance this season.

They ensured their fifth consecutive season of 15 or more wins by finishing at 16-9.

This success translated into Florida Tech earning its highest national ranking in the program’s nine-year history at No. 17 in the last Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II Poll.

Abigail Greif, Katarina Huba and Kristina Huba recorded 15 or more singles wins this spring. Kristina Huba, a sophomore from Ascona, Switzerland, went 17-5 and 9-1 at No. 2 singles. She and her sister Katarina played at No. 1 doubles and combined for a 15-6 record. Following the season, they both garnered All-Sunshine State Conference recognition. Also, Kristina Huba was tabbed ITA’s South Region Player to Watch.

Academic Success

The men’s and women’s tennis teams continued to impress in the classroom. The men finished the 2011-12 academic year with a cumulative grade point average above a 3.0, and the women won Florida Tech’s Team GPA Award for the highest cumulative GPA among all of the institution’s women’s sports at 3.65.

“This was another successful semester for us in terms of hard work, wins and GPA for the men’s and women’s teams,” Macom said. “However, we still need to make several improvements this fall in a very short practice season. I would really like to see both teams move their match play up to another level by the 2013 NCAA’s. I am already looking forward to starting our fall practices.”

In addition to receiving USPTA Florida Division Coach of the Year two times, Macom is a two-time recipient of the United States Tennis Association (USTA)/ITA Campus and Community Outreach Award. He has also won USPTA/Florida-Melbourne District Tennis Professional of the Year and the USPTA National College Coach of the Year.