Arizona State Athletic Director Ray Anderson is now a member of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Board of Directors. Anderson, who has fostered an emphasis on Olympic sports within Sun Devil Athletics, now serves on the 19-person board effective July 1.
The newly expanded Board of Directors includes individuals from various industries, from ITA CEO Timothy Russell to those in business, law, medicine, media, entertainment and more. Eight members, including Anderson, are newly elected with the goal of adding fresh perspective to board discussions.
"Thanks to our superb nominating committee, we will have outstanding new members joining the board in July," Jon Vegosen, Chairman of the Board said. "Tim Russell and I are looking forward to working with both the returning and the new board members on behalf of our association and college tennis."
Anderson is the only collegiate athletic director on the board, adding to an already stacked resume that includes serving as a board member of the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame, a member of the NCAA Football Oversight Committee, chair of the new Ad Hoc NCAA Competition Committee, and most recently the Green Sports Alliance.
In May 2016, Sun Devil Athletics announced the reinstatement of Arizona State men's tennis made possible through a $1M gift from Anderson himself and his wife, Buffie. This announcement came just one month after the department announced a strategic partnership with the ITA to grow the sport of tennis.
In its first season last year, ASU men's tennis experienced success under head coach Matt Hill. Hill's first recruiting class was ranked No. 5 in the nation by Tennis Recruiting Network and included the likes of Michaël Geerts – a top-450 ranked player out of Belgium who spent some time on the professional circuit – and Benjamin Hannestad – who twice represented Denmark in the Davis Cup.
The squad, consisting of nine men from nine different countries, earned a bid to the NCAA tournament after finishing the season with a 14-11 record in a tough Pac-12 Conference. Geerts had bright spots as an individual, earning a No. 20 ranking by ITA to become the highest-ranked Sun Devil since Sargis Sargisian in 1995. The Belgian also represented ASU with a bid to the singles tournament, making him the first Sun Devil to do so since before at least 2005.
After signing two more internationally prominent players to his 2018-19 recruiting class, Hill and the ASU men's tennis squad looks to carry their upward momentum for years to come.
The newly expanded Board of Directors includes individuals from various industries, from ITA CEO Timothy Russell to those in business, law, medicine, media, entertainment and more. Eight members, including Anderson, are newly elected with the goal of adding fresh perspective to board discussions.
"Thanks to our superb nominating committee, we will have outstanding new members joining the board in July," Jon Vegosen, Chairman of the Board said. "Tim Russell and I are looking forward to working with both the returning and the new board members on behalf of our association and college tennis."
Anderson is the only collegiate athletic director on the board, adding to an already stacked resume that includes serving as a board member of the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame, a member of the NCAA Football Oversight Committee, chair of the new Ad Hoc NCAA Competition Committee, and most recently the Green Sports Alliance.
In May 2016, Sun Devil Athletics announced the reinstatement of Arizona State men's tennis made possible through a $1M gift from Anderson himself and his wife, Buffie. This announcement came just one month after the department announced a strategic partnership with the ITA to grow the sport of tennis.
In its first season last year, ASU men's tennis experienced success under head coach Matt Hill. Hill's first recruiting class was ranked No. 5 in the nation by Tennis Recruiting Network and included the likes of Michaël Geerts – a top-450 ranked player out of Belgium who spent some time on the professional circuit – and Benjamin Hannestad – who twice represented Denmark in the Davis Cup.
Final #OracleITA Rankings are out! Not bad for our comeback season, we'll be back for more next year. #ForksUp! ???? pic.twitter.com/CPec6QiA7w
— Sun Devil M. Tennis (@SunDevilMTennis) May 31, 2018
The squad, consisting of nine men from nine different countries, earned a bid to the NCAA tournament after finishing the season with a 14-11 record in a tough Pac-12 Conference. Geerts had bright spots as an individual, earning a No. 20 ranking by ITA to become the highest-ranked Sun Devil since Sargis Sargisian in 1995. The Belgian also represented ASU with a bid to the singles tournament, making him the first Sun Devil to do so since before at least 2005.
We've already got some plans for 2019! ??
— Sun Devil M. Tennis (@SunDevilMTennis) June 6, 2018
The Sun Devils are set to play Oklahoma State at the Fort Worth Regional of the #ITAKickOff held on Jan 26-27.#ForksUp ?? pic.twitter.com/bHVxNpgl4n
After signing two more internationally prominent players to his 2018-19 recruiting class, Hill and the ASU men's tennis squad looks to carry their upward momentum for years to come.