USTA Eastern’s Annual College Showcase Day Connects College Coaches and High School Players

For high school-aged tennis players, looking towards the future and where they will embark on the next chapter of their lives in college can be a daunting endeavor, and it can be difficult to know where to even begin when searching for the right fit.

Similarly, for college coaches, searching for the right players and people to enter your program is an equally-difficult task, with so many players out there to choose from.

Enter the USTA Eastern College Showcase Day, one of the pillar events of the Eastern Section which has helped revolutionize and simplify the college recruiting process for all the parties involved.

The 35th annual USTA Eastern College Showcase brought together 120 students and 45 colleges to The Saw Mill Club in Mount Kisco to form a bridge between high school tennis players and collegiate tennis coaches, providing both unparalleled in-person interaction, but also an array of informative materials and resources players can use.

“Student athletes and their families can easily feel intimated or overwhelmed by college recruitment, and our goal with College Showcase Day is always to help clarify and simplify that process for those who attend,” said Julie Beal, Senior Director of Competition for USTA Eastern. “One of the great joys in hosting this event is getting the chance to walk around and observe all the conversations between players and coaches in attendance.”

The Showcase runs all day and includes an array of different activities for both players and coaches to take part in. As it always is looking to innovate and add more to this event, new to the Showcase this year was the addition of College Showcase Camps.

“We’re always brainstorming ways to make College Showcase Day an even more innovative, informative and inclusive experience,” Beal added. “We thought the camps would be a fantastic opportunity for younger players to get their first taste of college tennis. The camps ended up being a big hit and a highlight of the entire day.”

The camps were designed for high school freshmen and sophomores. Modeled after a typical college practice, they were run by college coaches, including Fordham women’s tennis head coach Michael Sowter.

“The camp was for freshmen and sophomores in high school so, for many of them, it was their first introduction to meeting college coaches,” said Sowter. “By participating in some college-style drills and hearing from different coaches about what it’s like to play college tennis, my hope is that the camps gave them the confidence and motivation to keep working on their tennis and consider college tennis as an option as they move into their junior and senior years of high school.”

Spread out across the 13 courts at the Saw Mill Club, players took part in match play, both singles and doubles, as coaches rotate around the courts and observe. This allowed players to demonstrate how they compete against different types of competition, while coaches were able to see how these players handle pressure moments and match scenarios.

“I can’t sing the praises of this event enough,” said Kevin Kane, the Vice President and General Manager at the Saw Mill Club. “It’s a great marketplace of ideas, where you get a chance to put kids who are good players and give them a recruitment opportunity in front of Division I, II and III schools. When Julie and I connected on this event about a dozen years ago, I knew it was the perfect thing for our club to sponsor. We close down for a day, put carpets down on our two show courts which then serves as the main room where all the coaches and colleges set up. These players ought to be playing tennis for life, and this event provides the venue to find their ideal collegiate tennis fit.”

Helping to create a showcase that covers all aspects of the college recruiting process are the workshops and seminars that take place throughout the day.  Two former Eastern junior players, Lorraine Bergmann and Dylan Lachmenen, who are currently collegiate players at Fordham and Rider, respectively, spoke to the students in attendance about their recruiting experience, and offered tips and advice.

Scott Treibly of USTA Collegiate gave a talk on How to Get Recruited, and this year he was joined by Danielle McNamara, who was the head coach at Yale for more than a decade after playing four years at Michigan, and now runs her own company helping junior players find their collegiate home.

“This was my first time at the USTA Eastern College Showcase and I was really impressed with the event.  The turnout was fantastic, the day ran incredibly smoothly and it was filled with incredibly valuable playing opportunities and education for the players and parents. Julie and her staff did an amazing job and I really think this is a model that all USTA sections should consider implementing for the junior players in their area, if they don’t do something already,” said McNamara. “The objective of the recruiting presentation was really to give players and parents a general overview of the recruiting process and some best practices on how to navigate the process.  I hope that everyone was able to learn something that they didn’t know already about the landscape of college tennis and how to best set themselves up to find the right college tennis fit for them.”

A high school sophomore who attended the showcase, Laura Perez, added:

“It’s helped me realize how big of a process it is, but also that if you take it slow, it’s going to be okay. The Showcase helped me realize that I can do it, and I’m really excited to see where I go.”

For the last three decades, the USTA Eastern’s College Showcase Day has been a pinnacle event for the organization, and an integral one for its overall mission of growing the game. The 2023 edition of the Showcase was another indicator of USTA Eastern’s desire to play matchmaker for student-athletes and colleges, and continue to ease a process that can oftentimes be difficult and stressful.

“Sometimes students will have never heard of a particular school and through these discussions realize what a great fit it could be, considering both the tennis program as well as what they hope to study,” added Beal. “We’re very proud to help facilitate these connections. As we begin planning next year’s event, we will definitely discuss how we can expand and enhance this offering.”