April 16, 2012
STANFORD, Calif.- Former Stanford standouts Patrick DuPre and David Wheaton are included among the 2012 inductees for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.
Joining DuPre and Wheaton in this year's class are Chuck Kriese, Paul Scarpa, Ron Smarr and Jon Vegosen. The honorees will be inducted at this year's ITA Men's Collegiate Hall of Fame Enshrinement Banquet, held May 23 during the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Tennis Championships at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga.
In addition to the induction ceremony, there will also be a special tribute to Dan Magill in appreciation of his unique role with the ITA Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame over the past 28 years as its founder, Curator, and Chairman of the ITA Hall of Fame Committee.
A native of Anniston, Ala., DuPre enjoyed a stellar career from 1973-76. DuPre earned All-America honors in 1976, reaching the NCAA Singles Championships as a quarterfinalist. A member of two national championship squads (1973, 1974), DuPre chalked up a 40-8 record in dual matches despite being unable to compete during his sophomore and junior seasons due to wrist injury. He was also the recipient of the 1976 Rafael Osuna Award, presented in memory of USC standout Rafael Osuna to the collegiate player best exemplifying competitive excellence, sportsmanship and contributions to the game.
DuPre reached Wimbledon semifinals and U.S. Open quarterfinals in 1979, and attained a No. 13 world ranking in 1980. The 1974 season was an impressive one for DuPre, the Ojai Intercollegiate Singles and Pacific Coast Doubles finalist and Japan Collegiate champion. The 1973 U.S. National Amateur Clay Courts singles champion, DuPre was also a member of the 1972 U.S. Junior Davis Cup.
A native of Excelsior, Minn., Wheaton played only one season on The Farm before turning professional. Directing Stanford to its ninth national title in 1988 with a 5-2 victory over LSU, Wheaton also earned All-American accolades in the process. That same season, he was also tabbed an All-Pac-10 selection and qualified for both singles and doubles at the NCAA Championships.
Wheaton moved on to enjoy a very successful career in professional tennis, competing as a member of the 1993 U.S. Davis Cup squad while reaching a career-high world singles ranking of No. 12 in 1991. Wheaton also excelled at the junior level, as a two-time U.S. Junior Davis Cup participant (1986, 1987), U.S. Junior National U.S. Open champion and National U.S. clay court singles titlist. He also ranked No. 2 in the National Junior rankings in 1986 and No. 1 in the National Junior rankings in 1987.
About the other inductees:
Chuck Kriese, head coach of Clemson University's men's tennis team from 1975 to 2008, was named the ITA Coach of the Year in 1981 and the ACC Coach of the Year six times on his way to becoming the winningest coach in conference history. He amassed 685 wins and led the Tigers to 10 ACC Championships.
Paul Scarpa, head coach of Furman University's men's tennis team for 48 years, ended his career with more wins than any other coach in the history of Division I Men's Tennis. He finished with an overall record of 853-542-3. Scarpa is also responsible for helping introduce the team format currently used in collegiate tennis.
Ron Smarr was the head coach at four different institutions in his 41 years of collegiate tennis coaching. He spent 15 years with Rice University, 10 years with the University of Colorado, 13 years with the University of South Carolina, and three with Wingate College, totaling 855 victories in his career. The 2010 NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year, Smarr is one of only two men's coaches to take three different programs to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tennis Championship.
Jon Vegosen, Chairman of the Board and President of the USTA, has made countless and invaluable contributions to the ITA and our world of college tennis, beginning with his serving as Vice Chair of the College Varsity Committee in 2003, and extending through his tenure as Chair of the Varsity Committee, and in his role as liaison to the ITA in his first two years as a member of the USTA Board of Directors. Jon had an instrumental role in helping to create the ITA/USTA Advocacy Network, as well as highlighting the vital importance of the Junior/Collegiate Continuum as a key ingredient in the player development pathway, and encouraging the USTA title sponsorship of the ITA Intercollegiate Championships program.