Rubio named Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Assistant Coach of the Year
TULSA, Okla. -- The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) has selected Texas assistant men’s tennis coach Ricardo Rubio at its 2008 National Assistant Coach of the Year after Rubio helped the Longhorns to a 25-5 record and a spot in Tuesday evening’s NCAA title match against Georgia. Now in his sixth year with the Longhorns, Rubio earns his first selection as the ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year after recently being tabbed the ITA South Central Region Coach of the Year, which was his third such award (2002,’06, ’08). “This is a really well-deserved honor for Ricardo,” UT head coach Michael Center said. “He has done an unbelievable job in all aspects of the program. He’s a tireless worker and a great friend, and I’m really happy for him.” Rubio and Center, the 2007 USPTA National College Coach of the Year, have led the Longhorns to arguably their finest season ever, as UT will match up with fourth-seeded Georgia, the defending NCAA team champion, in this evening’s NCAA Championship match set to air live on ESPNU at 6 p.m. Central. The Horns began their run to the NCAA title match on May 9 when they blanked Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the round of 64. Texas advanced to the round of 16 with a 4-0 win over Rice on May 10 in Austin before moving on to the quarterfinals with a 4-0 win over Florida on May 16 in Tulsa, Okla. Texas snapped second-seeded Ohio State’s 24-match winning streak on May 18, defeating the Buckeyes by a 4-2 count in the NCAA quarterfinals, and UT earned its first trip to the NCAA finals by knocking off third-seeded UCLA, 4-2, on Monday, May 19.
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