Women's Tennis Coaches
COACH JOHN NEWMAN
Eight years now as a member of the NCAA Division II, and the last six years one or the other of Incarnate Word's tennis teams have earned trips to the regional tournament: Three times in those seven seasons UIW sent both teams including most recently the spring of 2006, led by Coach John Newman.
Here's the progression: first year, nothing, nada. Second year, the UIW women win the first-ever Heartland Conference title and receive an NCAA regional bid. Year three, both teams win the Heartland, both play in the Division II regionals, and the men as regional champions advance to their first NCAA National Championships.
Continuing, in 2003, the men repeat their regional visit. In 2004, the women come within one single point of winning the regional and advancing to the national tournament. In 2005, the men return to the Central Regional tournament, and in 2006, both teams earn spots in the regional contest. A year ago, 2007, the Cardinals men went to the regional affair.
For all their efforts in 2002, Newman was a double winner as the ITA men's and women’s regional coach of the year. And three times he has been the Heartland women's coach of the year, including 2006.
John Newman plus San Antonio plus national tennis, both men’s and women’s surely adds up to success at the University of the Incarnate Word. And the number of individual players earning all-conference honors are legion.
Head tennis coach at UIW since 1991, Newman’s teams won an NAIA National Title in singles and doubles, both in 1993. The two leaders of that national title team, Jonas Andersson and Javier Ruiz, both have been installed in UIW’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
His teams, both men’s and women’s, won every Heart of Texas Conference championship since he arrived on campus. The only exception that that streak was the men's title in 1998. In fact, his women’s teams never lost a conference match and his men’s teams lost only six matches dating back to 1991.
In the spring of 1998, for the first time at Incarnate Word, the women's tennis team won the right to play in the NAIA National Tournament as a team. They finished 23rd overall. Newman, for all his efforts, was HOTC Coach of the Year twice.
A native San Antonian, and a graduate of Jefferson High School, Newman and his then partner James Moses reached the number five junior ranking by the US Lawn Tennis Association. And from there it only got better.
Newman was on the first of the great men’s teams at Trinity University in San Antonio. He played four years there and earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education.
His playing career has included stints on both the United States and European circuits. In his home state, he has won four Texas Open titles, one in singles and three in doubles with his brother Butch, the current Trinity coach. Newman also has won a singles title in the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation. He has played in three US Open Championships.
He is a stalwart in the Texas Sectionals. Beginning with the 35 age group, Newman has won every state tournament he has entered. In 1997 he captured his first Super Seniors title by defeating the number two player in the entire world for 60 and over. In the summer of 2003, he led the Texas team to a title at the National Intersectional Championships. He is ranked as Texas' number one player in both singles and doubles for the 65 and over category.
His coaching career began right at home as the men’s assistant and women’s head coach for 12 years at Trinity. He then spent four years as the men’s coach at the University of Tennessee and six years at Vanderbilt University as the men’s coach. In 1990 he returned home to serve as the associate coach here at Incarnate Word before moving to the head job in 1991.
The collegiate titles under Newman’s leadership are monumental. At Trinity, he assisted on an NCAA national team title. At Tennessee his 1980 team won the Southeast Conference, a men’s doubles team won the NCAA championship, and he was SEC coach of the year.
VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT DEVIN WILKE
He worked two years as the tennis graduate assistant, and now, for the third straight year, Devin Wilke is working for the Incarnate Word tennis program in a somewhat different capacity after earning his master’s degree in December of 2005.
Wilke played four years of tennis at Incarnate Word. In competition, he posted a career mark of 39-21 in singles play and he was 36-33 in doubles. Those 39 singles wins are tied for fifth all-time at UIW.
In his four years, the Cardinals won two Heartland Conference titles, played in two NCAA Division II regional tournaments and in 2002 advanced to the National Tournament. That spring, 2002, he was named All-Heartland Conference.
A product of San Antonio's Roosevelt High School, Wilke earned his bachelor's degree in sports management in the spring of 2003. Twice he was Verizon Academic All-District and each year he was on the Heartland President's Honor Roll as he maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.80.
Twice he was a finalist for the UIW Student-Athlete of the Year, and he was an annual member of the Incarnate Word Dean's List.
