Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raider Tennis Names New Assistant Coach
October 04, 2007 | Women's Tennis
Oct. 4, 2007
LUBBOCK, Texas - The Texas Tech women's tennis team and Head Coach Cari Groce announced today the addition of Todd Petty as the new assistant head coach. Petty will join the team in the beginning of November, replacing former Tech letterwinner Irina Tereschenko.
Petty comes to Lubbock after serving as the head coach at Rider High School in Wichita Falls, Texas. He received his bachelor of arts in political science from Midwestern State University, where he graduated cum laude and minored in kinesiology. He is currently seeking his master's degree in health fitness management.
"I grew up in Texas and am familiar with Texas Tech tennis," commented Petty on choosing the position. "Over the year's I've seen a lot of potential and growth in the program. I look forward to working with Coach Groce and learning from her and her experience with the sport. I think Tech is in a great conference and this is a great starting point and great opportunity for me."
During his collegiate career, Petty garnered several post-season honors. He was named to the Southland All-Conference team in both 1999 and 2000 at Texas-San Antonio. After transferring to Midwestern State he was named to the 2002 Lone Star Conference All-Academic team and named an ITA Academic All-American.
At Rider High, Coach Petty mentored several students to state qualifying berths, including in 2003 when three Rider tennis players qualified for the 4-A state tournament. In addition, his teams have finished in the top five in the state of Texas from 2004-2006, with the 2006 team placing third. The Rider tennis program has grown to have 70 participants, the largest it has ever been.
While in school, he also served as a graduate assistant for Midwestern State where he was involved in recruiting, coaching, and traveling with the men's and women's tennis programs. In 2003 and 2004, the men's tennis team qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
"We're very excited to have Todd join our staff," said Groce. "He has a lot of great Texas ties and will help us bring in some of the top players to our program. He has proven himself to be a good coach, and coaching at the college level is definitely the next step for him. I am very excited for his arrival."
