Kansas names tennis coach

By Staff Reports     Jun 11, 2013

Todd Chapman, who helped guide Texas Tech to the 2012 and 2013 Big 12 regular-season titles, has been named head women’s tennis coach at Kansas University, athletic director Sheahon Zenger announced Monday.

As an assistant coach at Tech for the last four years, Chapman helped elevate the Red Raiders from eighth place in the Big 12 in 2009 to the school’s first-ever bids to the NCAA Tournament in 2012 and 2013. Over the last three seasons he helped Tech achieve its highest national rankings in school history — 39th in 2011, 17th in 2012 and 15th in 2013. Tech reached the second round of the team competition in this year’s NCAA Tournament, and the All-Big 12 duo of Samantha Adams and Kenna Kilgo reached the NCAA Round of 16 in the doubles draw.

Prior to his tenure at Texas Tech, Chapman earned Southland Conference Coach-of-the-Year honors as head men’s and women’s coach at the University of Texas-Pan American (2001-03). He led UTPA to its first national ranking in 12 years and to a second-place finish in the Southland, the highest finish in the school’s history.

Chapman also spent two years (1999-2001) as the head men’s and women’s coach at the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma, an NAIA school in Chickasha, Ok. There his teams achieved national rankings of #17 (men) and #15 (women), and made back-to-back appearances in the NAIA Tournament.

Chapman earned success as a head coach at the high-school level as well, leading Wichita Falls (Texas) High School to three straight Class 4A state quarterfinals (2006-08).

As a player at Cameron University in Lawton, Okla., (1994-98), Chapman helped his team to four NCAA Division II Tournaments and a national ranking as high as 12.

“Todd has proven himself at every level through hard work and determination,” Zenger said. “He has accomplished exactly what we want to do at Kansas — compete at the highest level of the Big 12 Conference. We believe his work ethic, his genuine caring for what’s best for his players, and his ability to develop talent will bring an exciting new era to Kansas Tennis.”

“To say I am thrilled is an understatement,” Chapman said. “I was blown away during the interview process with the vision, cohesiveness and pride of the KU Athletic Department. KU is a premier academic and athletic institution, and I can’t wait to get to Lawrence and get to work.”

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