Kai Fong honored at ITA Coaches Convention
 
12-18-06 

MIAMI - Lewis-Clark State College Tennis coach Kai Fong was honored at the 22nd annual Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Coaches Convention at Doral Golf Resort and Spa on Dec. 15.

Fong was honored during the awards ceremony for the 2006 Wilson/ITA National Coaches of the Year and the USTA/ITA National Community Service and Campus Recreation Award winners. Fong was selected as the NAIA women's Coach of the Year.

Other winners included:
NCAA Division I women - Jay Louderback of Notre Dame NCAA Division I men - Adam Steinberg of Pepperdine NCAA Division II women - Simon Earnshaw of Armstrong Atlantic State (Ga.) NCAA Division II men - Amine Boustani of Drury (Mo.) NCAA Division III women - Maxanne Retzlaff of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) NCAA Division III men - Roger Follmer of Washington (Mo.) NAIA men - Mark Bohren of Azusa Pacific (Calif.) NJCAA women - Kathleen Thompson of Central Alabama Calif. Comm. College men - Rick Morris of Chabot

Wichita State's Chris Young and Lehigh's Dave Shook will be the recipients of the USTA/ITA National Community Service and Campus Recreation Awards, respectively.

The four-day convention was attended by some of the most influential people in the sport of tennis. Among this year's clinicians were: renowned sports psychologist Dr. Jim Loehr, ESPN tennis analyst Cliff Drysdale, tennis legend Stan Smith and legendary coaches Nick Bollettieri and Dennis Van der Meer.

Luke Jensen was this year's featured speaker. Jensen, who is in his first season as the women's coach at Syracuse University, was an ITA All-American at Southern California and went on to win the 1993 French Open doubles title with brother Murphy. He conducts more than 70 charity, seminar and tennis clinics around the world each year and is a regular on the airwaves, including ESPN's tennis telecasts.

As the governing body of collegiate tennis the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which was founded in 1956 and is based in Skillman, N.J., administers numerous regional and national championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit, presented by the USTA, and the Fila Rankings for men's and women's tennis at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior College levels.