The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s tennis team recently had its 2015 recruiting class ranked among the best at the mid-major level, according to TennisRecruiting.net. Head coach Jeff Clark’s three-person haul is No. 16 in the country among like-sized schools according to the website.
UTC’s recruiting class consists of and McKenzie Barco (Jacksonville, Fla.), Delaney Edwards (Lighthouse Point, Fla.) and Sydney Patton (Simpsonville, S.C.). All three are four-star prospects according to TennisRecruiting.net and all three rank in the top 50 in the Southeast region.
Barco is currently No. 44 in the region, followed by Patton at No. 46 and Edwards at No. 50. Barco is 24th and Edwards is 28th in the graduating class in Florida. Patton is the third-ranked prospect coming out of South Carolina.
“We are very excited to have our incoming freshmen ranked as the No. 16 mid-major recruiting class,” stated Clark. “We have four starters returning and I think this young group will mix well with all of our talented letter winners.
The Mocs were the only Southern Conference program listed in the top 25. UTC’s rising seniors Kelsey Coots, Kayla Jones, Katie Polk and Alison Storie made up the No. 9 mid-major class when they were incoming freshmen in 2012.
Clark and the Mocs have been climbing the SoCon ranks in recent years, winning 18 matches for three straight seasons. UTC tied for fifth in the SoCon (18-5, 6-4) in 2012 and finished third in the league (18-5, 7-3) in 2013. The Mocs were second last season with an 18-4 overall and 5-1 in league matches.
Top 25 Mid-Major Women's Tennis Recruiting Classes
1. Pepperdine
2. Florida International
3. South Florida
4. South Alabama
5. Tulane
6. Georgetown
7. Gonzaga
8. William & Mary
9. Pacific
10. Santa Clara
11. Boston
12. Charlotte
13. Richmond
14. Winthrop
15. Navy
16. Chattanooga
17. North Texas
18. Ball State
19. Marshall
20. Army
21. Connecticut
22. Liberty
23. Denver
24. James Madison
25. Drake