2008 Woodie Awards
From extinction to distinction: the vitalization of women's tennis
Evan Crawley
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: Sports
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10/26/07 - In architecture, you never start constructing a building at the top or it will all collapse. How many wedding cakes do you see built from the top down? Constructing a Division-I varsity athletic program is the same as constructing a building or baking a cake - you have to start at the bottom.
This is where the University of Rhode Island women's tennis team found itself just four years ago. Relegated to the basement of the Atlantic 10 Conference, the Rams sputtered their way to a 4-16 record under first-year coach Sandy Wood.
"I came into a weak team my first year, and we only had maybe one tournament player in Erin Flemming," Wood said. "I mean, we had some very solid high school players, but not [United States Tennis Association] Tournament players."
After a pitiful year where the team finished at the bottom of the A-10 and 12th in the conference tournament, changes were in store for the near future.
"Well there were two steps I needed to fulfill to get the program where it needed to be," Wood said. "The first was to go out and recruit tournament players, and the second was to get more scholarship support."
The first part was relatively easy, at least in comparison to getting additional funding to a small-market 4-16 team.
"The challenge that then arises is how to get new players to come here and play without athletics scholarships," Wood said. "The way tennis works is each player is ranked, and if a player is in the top 100, they are almost guaranteed a full ride somewhere."
Woods went on to explain that this is fundamentally different from football, basketball or other sports where scouting is more subjective. Sometimes quality players fall through the cracks, like former Providence College and current Minnesota Timberwolves player Ryan Gomes.
In order to get the players he needed the first year to build the program, he needed to utilize the URI Centennial Scholarship.
To be eligible for the Centennial Scholarship, students need to score a combined 1150 or higher on the Mathematics and Critical Reading sections of the SAT, or have a minimum ACT score of 25. They must also be in the top third of their graduating class.
This is where the University of Rhode Island women's tennis team found itself just four years ago. Relegated to the basement of the Atlantic 10 Conference, the Rams sputtered their way to a 4-16 record under first-year coach Sandy Wood.
"I came into a weak team my first year, and we only had maybe one tournament player in Erin Flemming," Wood said. "I mean, we had some very solid high school players, but not [United States Tennis Association] Tournament players."
After a pitiful year where the team finished at the bottom of the A-10 and 12th in the conference tournament, changes were in store for the near future.
"Well there were two steps I needed to fulfill to get the program where it needed to be," Wood said. "The first was to go out and recruit tournament players, and the second was to get more scholarship support."
The first part was relatively easy, at least in comparison to getting additional funding to a small-market 4-16 team.
"The challenge that then arises is how to get new players to come here and play without athletics scholarships," Wood said. "The way tennis works is each player is ranked, and if a player is in the top 100, they are almost guaranteed a full ride somewhere."
Woods went on to explain that this is fundamentally different from football, basketball or other sports where scouting is more subjective. Sometimes quality players fall through the cracks, like former Providence College and current Minnesota Timberwolves player Ryan Gomes.
In order to get the players he needed the first year to build the program, he needed to utilize the URI Centennial Scholarship.
To be eligible for the Centennial Scholarship, students need to score a combined 1150 or higher on the Mathematics and Critical Reading sections of the SAT, or have a minimum ACT score of 25. They must also be in the top third of their graduating class.