A season removed from winning Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year, Alex Hunt has been named the UT Permian Basin Head Tennis Coach.  Hunt, an Odessa native and Permian High School graduate, had been at LSC rival Western New Mexico for the last two seasons.
 
"Alex has shown that he has the ability to coach at a high level in the Lone Star Conference," said Vice President for Athletics Todd Dooley.  "That and his familiarity with West Texas make him the perfect choice to come back to Odessa and lead the tennis program."
 
Hunt led the Mustang men last season to their best finish in the LSC, winning 11 matches, a nine-win improvement from the year before.  Number one singles player Jonathan Vega earned First Team All-LSC honors along with First Team Doubles honors with partner Javier Romero.  Vega also was named the league's Sportsmanship Player of the Year.  The women's team won six matches, a one-win improvement from his first season.  Prior to getting the head job at Western New Mexico, Hunt spent a season at his alma mater, Hardin-Simmons, as a graduate assistant.
 
"I'm super excited to join the Falcon Family," said Hunt.  "I'd like to thank Todd Dooley for this opportunity.  I understand that there is a big opportunity in from of UTPB Tennis to make a big jump and I'm ready to do my part to make it happen for this great university.  Todd shared with me his goal of the department to pursue comprehensive excellence, addressing academics, athletics, and community.  Those pursuits are areas I'm really passionate about and feel strongly about as a head coach.  Having an AD with the same vision, who utilizes the same everyday language I do, is very exciting."
 
A decorated player in college, Hunt was a two-time American Southwest Conference MVP and three-time All-Conference First Team selection while playing number one singles and doubles.  A three-time conference doubles champion, two-time conference singles champion, and two-time ITA singles semifinalist, Hunt was ranked as high as No. 48 in the country.  He also earned ASC Freshman of the Year, Sportsmanship Player of the Year, and was an ASC Scholar-Athlete Medal of Honor recipient in his time at Hardin-Simmons. 
 
"My wife, Megan, and I were born and raised in Odessa, so this is also special for us personally," he continued.  "We have lots of family in Odessa and greater West Texas, so living closer to them, especially with our nine-month-old son, Johnny, will make our lives so much more enjoyable."
 
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