KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee women's tennis head coach Alison Ojeda received a top national honor from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Thursday.
The ITA named Ojeda its 2024 National Wilson Coach of the Year for her leadership on and off the court during her eighth season as head coach.
"We have so many amazing coaches who do an outstanding job all over the country," Ojeda said. "It is an honor to have been voted National Coach of the Year by my esteemed colleagues. I love the sport of tennis, I love coaching and I love Rocky Top. To be able to come to work every day at my alma mater and work with the incredible administrators, coaches, players and staff is just a daily dream come true. I can't thank my team and coaches enough for all their hard work and dedication. This award is because of each of you!"
The University of Tennessee said Ojeda guided the team to 22 victories, which was the most ever during her tenure for a second year. The team beat 12 ranked opponents, including seven in the top 25, and took down No. 1 Oklahoma State to snap a 29-match winning streak and advance to the Elite 8.
"The Lady Vols have now produced back-to-back seasons of at least 21 victories for the first time since 2002-03. This is the winningest two-year stretch for the program since those two campaigns," UT said.
UT said Ojeda has taken every team she has coached at Tennessee to the NCAA tournament, and this season took the Lady Vols all the way to the Final Four.
"Alison has been one of the elite coaches in the sport, and we are thrilled to see her recognized on a national level for the tremendous work she has done leading our women's tennis program," said Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White. "Alison has built a program that handles things the right way on and off the court and competes at the highest level in pursuit of championships."
The award marks the second time in program history that a UT coach was distinguished with an ITA national honor. Ojeda joined Mike and Sonia Patrick, who shared an award in 2001.
