Rallying through 2024: The year’s most memorable stories

Check out some of the top USTA Iowa stories from the past year by reading this 2024 recap and clicking through the included links.

Sasha Schmid, University of Iowa women’s tennis coach, is an inspiration to her players. After playing tennis for the Iowa Hawkeyes from 1992-96, Schmid came back to Iowa City as the women’s head coach in 2016. After coaching at Stetson University and the University of Missouri, Schmid was thrilled to be a Hawkeye once again.

A new tournament raised thousands of dollars to help Iowans with medical bills. A nonprofit organization based in Iowa aimed to relieve the financial hardships on people facing healthcare challenges. A fundraiser, the Club Kids for a Cause Winter Classic, was held Feb. 16-18 at Drake University with close to 100 participants.

Iowa Central Community College named Isaac Pearlstone as the new head coach for the men’s and women’s tennis teams. The St. Louis native has always had a passion for tennis and looked forward to his new opportunity.

For more than 75 years, Byrnes Park in Waterloo has served the community with many offerings including tennis. The park started with only a few courts and has since expanded to 16, even hosting high school state tournaments.

The Des Moines area tennis community held a 24-hour cardio tennis fundraiser for local pro and USTA Iowa Executive Secretary Mark Blume, who is battling cancer. More than 700 people took part in the event and raised more than $15,000.

The community of Boone offers a middle school tennis program in order to get more kids ready for high school tennis. The program runs May through October and is highly successful.

The Iowa duo of Nathan Williams and Brady Anderson competed in the USTA Adaptive Doubles National Championships in Orlando and placed second in the competition.

Milica Oliver was chosen as the 2024 USTA Iowa Outstanding Official. The Serbian native played for the Hawkeyes and now coaches and officiates. She was nominated for going over and beyond at a tournament in Iowa.

The number of league tennis players continues to rise in Iowa. Ever since the pandemic, more and more people are picking up tennis racquets and learning the sport.

To read all USTA Iowa articles from 2024, check out this link.