2019: A Year in Review

2019 has been a fantastic year for USTA Kansas. We’ve hosted events, won awards, taken home championships and seen more players find themselves in the game of tennis. Let’s take a look back at some of our best highlights from this year.

In January, we implemented USTA Team Challenges. More than 41 events were hosted throughout the Missouri Valley, allowing young athletes to learn to compete in a welcoming team environment. 

In June, USTA Kansas hosted section championships for adaptive tennis in Maize, Kansas. Daxton Miller and Marty Rothwell, hailing from Missouri and Kansas, took second place in the tournament and qualified for the national event in Florida.

The Jayhawk Open was hosted from June 7-9 in Topeka, Kansas. The tournament was part of the MoKanNeb series that consisted of four events and a grand prize of $1,000. That money was won by the player with the most combined points from the tournaments: Wichita native Alex Pozo.

In July, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the National Junior Tennis and Learning program by recognizing a local NJTL chapter at McAdams Community Center in Wichita, Kansas. 

In August, Kansas JTT Coordinator Janet Glaser received a national award as the National Coach of the Year. The recognition was provided by the KSHSAA Coaching School and celebrated Glaser’s outstanding accomplishments throughout her 40-year coaching career.

In September, Kansas hosted the second leg of the 40 & Over Men’s and Women’s 3.5 and 4.5 Section Championships at Kossover Tennis Center in Topeka, Kansas. The event brought in 344 players. Kansas State University’s Tennis on Campus team took second place in the 2019 USTA Missouri Valley Fall Invite. 

In October, Kansas teams brought home big wins in national competition. Four Kansas adult league teams qualified for nationals and Topeka’s own Top City Tennis took second place at the national event.   

Thank you to everyone who’s been a part of USTA Kansas this year. Without each of your contributions, we would not be able to celebrate these successes.