Georgetown, Texas - The Southwestern University Athletic Department is pleased to announce the promotion of Head Men's and Women's Tennis Coach Billy Porter to the position of Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations. Porter will be responsible for event operations, facility scheduling, camp scheduling, new employee onboarding, select program oversight, and as a liaison to human resources, among other duties.
Coach Porter is tasked with his new position after developing a men's and women's tennis program that has been consistently ranked among the top programs in the country. Billy Porter arrived at Southwestern in 2013 and has since developed a women's team that has been ranked in the top 25 for seven consecutive years as well as a men's team that has been ranked nationally since 2017; both teams have reached as high as number ten in the national rankings.
Accolades for Porter during his time as a head coach include over a dozen All-Americans, NCAA Appearances for the third and quarterfinal rounds for the men and women, respectively, numerous regional and conference Coach of the Year Awards, and bringing the women's tennis program their first ever conference championship in 2021.
In addition to his head coaching duties, Porter has served on various NCAA and ITA Tennis Committees since 2015, including the NCAA and ITA Rankings Committees, the ITA DIII Operating Committee, and the ITA National Awards Committee. Billy Porter and the tennis program have been host to two ITA Regionals in 2015 and 2019, two SCAC Championships, and two USTA Texas Slam's all at Southwestern's home of the Marvin D. Henderson Courts.
Porter hopes to translate his leadership and organizational experience on the court into helping Southwestern Athletics become an elite-level institution for all its athletes.
"Being the Head Tennis Coach at Southwestern has been an absolute honor and an opportunity I will cherish forever. One of the biggest motivators to take on this new position is the ability to help our athletic department grow and face new challenges, as well as the capacity to be still involved with both tennis programs," explains Porter.
"We are thrilled Billy will be moving into this new role at Southwestern," said Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Ken Ralph. "His experience with large revenue-generating events and his focus on brand building, when paired with his outstanding work ethic, makes him a natural choice for the varied responsibilities he will hold. His results with our tennis programs were nothing short of exceptional and we are excited to have him expand his focus to include our entire athletic program."
The Southwestern University Athletic Department has begun a nationwide search for the next Head Men's and Women's Tennis Coach.