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David Wagner
© Robert Prezioso/Getty Images
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The players and coaches who will represent the United States at the 2012 BNP Paribas World Team Cup have been announced by the USTA. The nation’s top wheelchair tennis players will compete against participants from around the globe, May 21-27, on hard court, hosted by Seoul, Korea Republic. The competition will take place at the Seoul Olympic Tennis Center, home of the 1988 Summer Olympics, and will be the first time the event will take place in Asia. BNP Paribas has been announced as the new title sponsor of the event.
Seoul, Korea, will become the 17th nation to host this prestigious event. Often referred to as wheelchair tennis’ equivalent of pro tennis’ Davis Cup and Fed Cup competitions, the World Team Cup tournament brings the world’s best wheelchair tennis players together to compete for national pride in one of the world’s premier tennis team events.
Over 160 players and 52 teams from more than 25 nations are expected to participate in the 2012 event in Seoul.
Representing the United States at the 2012 BNP Paribas World Team Cup will be:
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Men’s Team
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Dan James ( Head Coach)
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St. Paul, Minn.
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Steve Baldwin
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San Diego, Calif.
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Jon Rydberg
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Oakdale, Minn.
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Stephen Welch
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Southlake, Texas
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Noah Yablong
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Tucson, Ariz.
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Women’s Team
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Paul Walker (Coach)
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Lakeland, Fla.
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Emmy Kaiser
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Ft. Mitchell, Ky.
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Mackenzie Soldan
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Louisville, Ky.
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Kaitlyn Verfuerth
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Tucson, Ariz.
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| Quad Team |
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San Juan Capistrano, Calif. |
| Bryan Barten |
Tucson, Ariz. |
| Nick Taylor |
Wichita, Kan. |
| David Wagner |
San Diego, Calif. |
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| John Devorss (Coach) |
Salem, Ore. |
| Shelby Baron |
Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Katherine Stuteville |
Colleyville, Texas |
| Chris Herman |
Gulfport, Fla. |
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Certified Athletic Trainer
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Jenna Street
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Colorado Springs, Colo.
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| Team Manager |
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| Jeremiah Yolkut |
White Plains, N.Y. |
The United States Quad Team will look to bring home the quad title for the sixth time in the last nine years. The two-time Paralympic Doubles Gold Medalists’ team of David Wagner and Nick Taylor are looking to defend the U.S. quad title with Bryan Barten for the third consecutive year.
Men’s head coach Dan James has been selected as the 2011 Wheelchair Tennis Coach of the Year by the International Tennis Federation and will be presented with a trophy in Seoul. James has also been named USOC Paralympic Coach of the Year for Tennis.
The USTA was officially designated by the USOC as the national governing body for the Paralympic sport of wheelchair tennis in June 2002, becoming the first Olympic national governing body to earn this recognition. As the national governing body for wheelchair tennis, the USTA manages wheelchair tennis in the United States, including the sanctioning of tournaments, overseeing wheelchair rankings, creating and managing a High Performance program for developing elite disabled athletes, and selecting teams to compete internationally for the United States.