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Ward Named PTR College Coach of the Year

Hilton Head Island, SC — Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) will present its annual awards this week during the 2012 PTR International Tennis Symposium. The event, which includes 50-plus on court and classroom presentations for tennis teachers and coaches, a tennis trade show and tournament is being held February 24-28, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, in Orlando, Florida

Craig Ward, of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, is PTR Jim Verdieck College Coach of the Year.

Ward is the Head Men’s Coach and Director of Tennis at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas. With more than 250 wins to his credit, Ward has coached his Tigers to two NCAA Division II Final Four appearances and two #1 National rankings. He has seven Conference Championships under his belt, and 12 National Top 10 finishes.

Winning is important to Ward, but so too is academic achievement. Ward has had 24 All-American players, 31 Academic All-Americans and six Academic All-American Teams. Two of his players were Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship and Leadership Award recipients. In 2004, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) presented Ward’s Tigers the National Team Sportsmanship Award.

Ward has earned many accolades for his coaching including Intercollegiate National Coach of the Year and USPTA College Coach of the Year. He is in the Arkansas Tennis Hall of Fame, received the National USTA/ITA Community Service Award, and was named PTR Arkansas Member of the Year. Ward is also a USTA Intersectional Coach and serves on the Wilson Advisory Staff.

PTR is the largest global organization of tennis teaching professionals with more than 14,000 members in 117 countries. It has the greatest percentage of multicultural and women members of any such organization. PTR is dedicated to educating, certifying and servicing tennis teachers and coaches around the world in order to grow the game.

Posted on February 14, 2012
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