Jan. 9, 2008

NAPLES, Fla. -- Savannah College of Art & Design (Ga.) Head Women's Tennis Coach Chuck Keenan and Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) Head Men's Tennis Coach LaRon Pressnell were recently given the Wilson Coach of the Year Award for the NAIA. Both received their award at the annual Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Coaches Convention, which took place Dec. 14-17, 2007.

Keenan was named Coach of the Year after leading the Bees to their third consecutive trip to the NAIA National Championship in 2007. The two-time Florida Sun and NAIA Region XIV Coach of the Year helped the Bees advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in the program's history. The Bees finished the season with a 13-5 mark and were ranked as high as No. 5 in the NAIA last season.

In his four seasons at the helm of the Freed-Hardeman tennis program, Pressnell took the team from the very bottom of the conference to a nationally respected and competitive program, accumulating an overall record of 152-42. This season, the Lions fell in the NAIA semifinals to Auburn Montgomery, the tournament's No. 1 seed. FHU, which finished 2007 with a 25-4 record, earned a conference championship, a region championship, and received several individual honors along the way. This was Keenan's final season as head men's coach at FHU.

For a complete list of the 2007 ITA award winners, click here