The Chewning Tennis Center's outdoor courts
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Carolina Set To Dedicate Chewning Tennis Center Friday
April 14, 2023 | Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis
The University of North Carolina will dedicate its beautiful, new outdoor tennis center in a special ceremony on Friday in Chapel Hill.
UNC officials and supporters will gather for the official ribbon-cutting for the Chewning Tennis Center, named in honor of former Carolina tennis student-athlete and longtime supporter Tom Chewning and his wife Nancy, which provides a new outdoor home for the Tar Heel men's and women's tennis programs.
The Chewning Tennis Center provides a championship-level experience to UNC student-athletes, as well as a top-notch viewing experience for fans.
"We couldn't be more grateful to Tom Chewning and the Chewning family for their generosity and dedication to the continued success of our tennis programs," says Carolina Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. "Many supporters stepped forward to make this new facility possible, and the Chewning Tennis Center is going to make a huge impact on the experience of every student-athlete who competes and trains here. I can't wait to watch our teams win in this beautiful facility for years to come."
The facility includes six new championship courts for competition, six practice courts adjacent to the competition area, elevated seating for fans to view matches and other viewing areas and amenities. Construction on the project began in January 2022 and was completed for a doubleheader on March 31.
The $18.5 million project was funded through private donations. During construction, additional improvements were made to the Cone-Kenfield Indoor Courts as well. The project was designed by HKS Architects, and Frank L. Blum Construction coordinated the building process.
"The Carolina family steps forward so often to meet the needs of our student-athletes and coaches," says John Montgomery, executive director of The Rams Club. "A wonderfully generous group of tennis supporters worked so hard to make this facility possible, and other donors showed through their gifts that they believe in building on the enormous success of these two programs. It's a special new home for Carolina Tennis, and I thank Tom, Nancy and all of the people who stepped forward for this important project."
The coaches of both Carolina tennis teams are excited and grateful as well.
"Collegiate success to Grand Slam success, that's one way we recruit," says Sam Paul, Carolina's men's tennis coach since 1993. "Our recruiting mantra is you're going to get a world-class education and you're going to get world-class training – setting you up for the pro tour or whatever you do in life. We've got a lot of history of tennis at Carolina. These improvements will only allow us to build on that history and tradition."
"There's a lot of excitement around both programs, and with this new facility, it's going to add the opportunity for growth and accomplishing things we've never done before," adds Brian Kalbas, UNC's women's tennis coach since 2003.
The dedication ceremony will feature opening comments from Cunningham and UNC Board of Trustees chair Dave Boliek, followed by the official dedication of the facility by Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz.
It also will include personal reflections from Tom Chewning, as well as comments from head coaches Sam Paul (men's tennis) and Brian Kalbas (women's tennis).
UNC officials and supporters will gather for the official ribbon-cutting for the Chewning Tennis Center, named in honor of former Carolina tennis student-athlete and longtime supporter Tom Chewning and his wife Nancy, which provides a new outdoor home for the Tar Heel men's and women's tennis programs.
The Chewning Tennis Center provides a championship-level experience to UNC student-athletes, as well as a top-notch viewing experience for fans.
"We couldn't be more grateful to Tom Chewning and the Chewning family for their generosity and dedication to the continued success of our tennis programs," says Carolina Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. "Many supporters stepped forward to make this new facility possible, and the Chewning Tennis Center is going to make a huge impact on the experience of every student-athlete who competes and trains here. I can't wait to watch our teams win in this beautiful facility for years to come."
The facility includes six new championship courts for competition, six practice courts adjacent to the competition area, elevated seating for fans to view matches and other viewing areas and amenities. Construction on the project began in January 2022 and was completed for a doubleheader on March 31.
The $18.5 million project was funded through private donations. During construction, additional improvements were made to the Cone-Kenfield Indoor Courts as well. The project was designed by HKS Architects, and Frank L. Blum Construction coordinated the building process.
"The Carolina family steps forward so often to meet the needs of our student-athletes and coaches," says John Montgomery, executive director of The Rams Club. "A wonderfully generous group of tennis supporters worked so hard to make this facility possible, and other donors showed through their gifts that they believe in building on the enormous success of these two programs. It's a special new home for Carolina Tennis, and I thank Tom, Nancy and all of the people who stepped forward for this important project."
The coaches of both Carolina tennis teams are excited and grateful as well.
"Collegiate success to Grand Slam success, that's one way we recruit," says Sam Paul, Carolina's men's tennis coach since 1993. "Our recruiting mantra is you're going to get a world-class education and you're going to get world-class training – setting you up for the pro tour or whatever you do in life. We've got a lot of history of tennis at Carolina. These improvements will only allow us to build on that history and tradition."
"There's a lot of excitement around both programs, and with this new facility, it's going to add the opportunity for growth and accomplishing things we've never done before," adds Brian Kalbas, UNC's women's tennis coach since 2003.
The dedication ceremony will feature opening comments from Cunningham and UNC Board of Trustees chair Dave Boliek, followed by the official dedication of the facility by Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz.
It also will include personal reflections from Tom Chewning, as well as comments from head coaches Sam Paul (men's tennis) and Brian Kalbas (women's tennis).