| Jefferson Hammond |
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 | Hometown:
Indianapolis, Ind.
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| Position:
Head Coach | 4th Season
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| Alma Mater:
Vermont | 1993
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E-Mail Coach Hammond
Regarded as one of the top young coaches in the country, Jefferson Hammond was named head coach of the TCU women's tennis program in August 2006. Hammond served as the TCU women's tennis assistant coach the previous two years. He took over the position vacated by Dave Borelli (who is now the TCU men's head coach) in August of 2006.
In 2009, Hammond drove TCU to an overall record of 17-11 and a final team ranking of No. 29. The Horned Frogs returned to NCAA postseason play for the sixth-straight season, reaching the second round of the Fayetteville Regional. Hammond earned his second-consecutive Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year award, leading the Horned Frogs to a 10-1 record against league opponents and claiming the program's second conference tournament title in four seasons.
The 2009 season was a year of achievements for Hammond and his squad. As a junior, Nina Munch-Soegaard earned ITA singles All-American honors after gaining a top-16 seeding in the NCAA Singles Championships. Senior Anna Sydorska earned sole possession of the TCU career doubles record, ending her career with an overall record of 106-43, while also ranking fifth in combined wins, going 179-87 in singles and doubles for TCU. Macall Harkins, Kayla Duncan and Katariina Tuohimaa each earned All-MWC singles considerations, while Duncan and Tuohimaa also garnered Doubles honors.
On April 10, 2009, Hammond achieved his first career benchmark total for wins, claiming his 50th career victory after a 7-0 sweep over Colorado State.
TCU went 8-0 in MWC play in 2008 to defend their regular-season title. The Frogs' 20-6 overall record earned a fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and a final ranking of 26th in the nation.
For the second-straight season, five TCU players earned all-conference honors, including the junior duo of Harkins and Sydorksa, who took home singles and doubles honors. Sophomore Munch-Soegaard was selected as the 2008 Texas Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame Tennis Player of the Year and Hammond earned the MWC Coach of the Year award.
In his first season as head coach in 2006-07, the Frogs went 7-1 in MWC play to capture the regular-season title. TCU led the league with five all-conference selections, and Munch-Soegaard was named the MWC Freshman of the Year.
Ana Cetnik and Sydorska advanced to the semifinals in doubles play at the NCAA Championships to earn All-America honors. Cetnik earned a new TCU record with 35 single-season doubles wins, while Sydorska tied for second all-time with 34.
As a coaching pair in 2005 and 2006, the Borelli-Hammond duo placed the TCU women's tennis program among the nation's elite collegiate programs. Not only did the Horned Frogs make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, but TCU also finished both campaigns with top-20 rankings.
Hammond, the 2006 Southwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year, and Borelli enjoyed one of the most successful runs in program history in 2006, as the team finished the campaign ranked 15th in the final ITA poll, tying the highest finish since the 1979-80 season.
The Frogs' 2006 season was filled with many firsts and notable accomplishments. All indications from the outset proved the Frogs would have a strong year as the team began the 2006 season ranked 14th according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's preseason poll. Four Horned Frogs were ranked in the top 50 in singles, and one doubles duo placed in the top-50 as well. Having four Frogs ranked among the top 50 in singles was a school record.
The Frogs picked up their first big win of the season by knocking off seventh-ranked Vanderbilt 4-3 at the USTA/ITA National Team Indoors. Beating the Commodores tied a TCU school record for highest ranked team defeated. Notably, the Borelli-Hammond pair also established the previous record (a 4-3 win over No. 7 Clemson) the season before.
After its run at the National Team Indoors, the Frogs leaped four spots in the polls to grab the No. 12 ranking - the highest in program history.
The 2006 campaign also marked TCU's inaugural season as a member of the Mountain West Conference and the Frogs quickly established dominance as the rookie member of the league. TCU went 8-0 versus MWC foes to win the regular-season title and grab the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. With the No. 1 spot, the Frogs rolled through the tournament to capture the crown.
Senior Helena Besovic, junior Ana Cetnik, sophomore Nicole Leimbach and freshman Sydorska garnered All-MWC singles plaudits. Besovic, Cetnik, Sydorska and sophomore Andrea Morgado pulled in doubles recognition. Sydorska was recognized as the conference Freshman of the Year and Borelli was named Coach of the Year.
Following league play, the Frogs made history as they became the first TCU women's program to host the opening rounds of the NCAAs. The regional consisted of Arkansas, Conference USA champion Rice, 18th-ranked Texas and the Horned Frogs.
The first round saw TCU dispatch Rice 4-0 to make its second-straight round two showing. Having never advanced past the regionals, the Frogs had history on the line once again and the Longhorns stood in the way. TCU delivered and knocked off to the University of Texas, 4-0, to move on to its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance.
Despite falling to No. 1 and eventual three-time champion Stanford, the Horned Frogs continued to roll in the awards. Senior Gloriann Lopez was named the ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award recipient for the 2006 season. Lopez, the team captain, finished the regular season with a record of 16-3. The ITA/Arthur Ashe Award goes to a player who has exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements.
In the final individual polls, Leimbach ranked 19th which is the third-highest finish for a Horned Frog singles player in program history (Rene Simpson 12th in 1988, Story Tweedie-Yates 11th in 2005). The Colorado Springs, Colo., product also picked up ITA All-America honors was the first TCU Grand Slam champion as she brought home the Riviera/ITA All-American Championship.
Besovic finished 29th in singles, 13th in doubles alongside Cetnik and 24th while paired with Sydorska. The 13th-place finish was the second highest in program history at the time behind Simpson and Teresa Dobson, who completed the 1988 season with a No. 12 slotting.
In his first season at TCU, the Horned Frogs ended the year with a 21-5 record and their final ranking of 19th marked the first top 20 finish since 1981. At one point during the spring, TCU was rated as high as No. 14.
Hammond was very instrumental in helping TCU recruit some of the top talent in the nation and the world.
Hammond came to Fort Worth, Texas, after being involved in the collegiate coaching ranks in the state of California. During the 2003 and 2004 seasons, Hammond served as the volunteer assistant coach for the nationally ranked Southern California men's team. He helped guide the 2004 USC squad to a co-Pac-10 team championship and to the NCAA semifinals.
The Indianapolis native broke into the college scene in 2002 as an administrative assistant for the UC Irvine men's tennis team.
Hammond started his coaching career at University High in Irvine, Calif., in 2000 after serving as an assistant tennis pro at The Pointe Hilton on South Mountain in Phoenix. During his two-year stint with the boys' varsity tennis squad at University High, Hammond led his team to two California Interscholastic Federation team championships. Following the 2000 title, he was named the Orange County Register Coach of the Year.
Hammond has not only excelled as a coach but as a player. As recently as 2001, he was ranked No. 1 in the Southern California Tennis Association in the men's 30-and-under singles.
Hammond earned his bachelor's degree in history from the University of Vermont in 1993, where he was four-year starter on the tennis team with a .694 winning percentage in singles. As a senior, he was co-captain, and in 1992, he helped lead the Catamounts to the North Atlantic Conference championship. Following graduation, he spent time playing on the United States Tennis Association Pro Circuit.
Hammond and his wife, Amy, have two boys, Eric, 6, and Kevin, 3, and reside in Keller.
