General | 8/8/2023 12:00:00 PM
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. Methodist University Vice President and Director of Athletics Dave Eavenson has announced the promotion of
Alicia Barto from assistant tennis coach to head coach of the women's tennis team. Simultaneously, Head Men's Tennis Coach
Kemper Baker has been named director of tennis while retaining his coaching duties.
"It is our pleasure to announce
Alicia Barto as our new head women's tennis coach," Eavenson said. "Alicia has done an outstanding job as our assistant coach the past two seasons, and we look forward to working with her in her new role as our head coach.
"We are also excited to announce that
Kemper Baker will become our director of tennis in addition to his duties as our head men's tennis coach. Our men's tennis teams have competed at a high level and have represented our university in a first-class manner under Kemper's leadership."
Barto has served as an assistant coach at Methodist since September of 2021, working with both the women's and men's tennis teams. She's also been an active member of the tennis community in the Fayetteville area, most recently serving as the tennis professional and junior tennis program director at Highland Country Club. Prior to her role there, she held a similar position at Gates Four Golf and Country Club as the tennis professional, junior team captain and communication liaison.
"I'm extremely excited and honored to have been offered the opportunity to coach the women's tennis team at Methodist University and to be able to work alongside Coach Baker," Barto said. "I want to thank Coach Blackburn for the amazing opportunity he gave me two years ago to become his assistant coach. I am ecstatic about coaching the women's team – I've seen them become amazing student-athletes and individuals, so I look forward to continuing to work with them, coaching them, and aiding them in every way possible, and I'm eager to do great things for our women's tennis program and for all Monarchs."
From Colombia, Barto represented her country in multiple international events as a youth, rising up the ranks to become a top-10 talent in South America among players at her level at the age of 15. She earned a tennis scholarship to play for Lindsey Wilson College (NAIA) where she competed for two years before transferring to Troy University (NCAA Division I).
"I am thrilled to have
Alicia Barto in her new role as head women's tennis coach," said Baker. "She has been a huge asset to our tennis programs as an assistant and I know that she will do an excellent job of continuing the legacy of success established by Coaches Blackburn and Barragan. We are all very excited about the future of Monarch Tennis."
Baker has been at Methodist since 2016, coaching the men's tennis team for the past seven seasons. Under his leadership, the Monarchs have appeared in two USA South Athletic Conference Tournament championship matches and reached the tournament semifinal round on three other occasions.
His players have also experienced individual success, with many receiving all-conference honors like
Matthew Hurley who was named the 2023 USA South Rookie of the Year, as well as other individuals making NCAA D-III Men's Singles Tournament appearances.
Barto and Baker will strive to build upon last season's success, which saw the women's team in the USA South championship match and the men's team reach the semifinal round of the conference tournament.
"We are looking forward to continuing to build on the tradition of excellence that has been established with both our men's and women's tennis programs under their leadership," Eavenson said.
