Lee University Women's Tennis

Hynes begins his second season as Lee University's men's and women's head tennis coach.    A 2000 graduate of Lees-McRae College (Banner Elk, N.C.), Hynes became the winningest singles player in Lees-McRae history. He also was ranked in the top 50 in NCAA Division II singles, and top 20 in doubles. He excelled in the classroom as well, posting a 3.63 cumulative GPA and graduated summa cum laude.   He worked as the assistant men's and women's tennis coach at Lee-McRae (2002-03) before being promoted to the men's head job (2003-04).   Before making the move to Indiana and serving as an assistant for four years (2011-14), Hynes directed both the men's and women's programs at Presbyterian College (Clinton, S.C.); two seasons over both programs and six years as the men's coach. As a Division II program, his team won the South Atlantic Conference Championship from 2005-07. He was voted the SAC Coach of the Year in 2006. While helping produce 17 ITA Scholar Athletes and one ITA All-American, Hynes was a force in overseeing the college's transition to NCAA Division I in 2007.   In 2009, Hynes was promoted to Presbyterian's Director of Tennis and worked with both the men's and women's team. Against Division 1 competition, Hynes recruited the Big South Player of the Year, Grayson Mills.  His 2010 and 2011 men's teams claimed the Big South Sportsmanship award.   Married and the father of two children, Hynes was asked what led him to Lee  "The fact that the school is strongly aligned with its Christian mission, along with the recent transition to Division II and membership in one of the strongest conferences (GSC) in the country," he replied. "This combined with the strong tradition of academics and tennis made Lee an appealing choice for my family."   Hynes said he was impressed with the tight-knit feeling of the campus community. "It was immediately apparent that Lee is a special place, and the people genuinely love to be there. We also appreciated the amount of time Mr. (Larry) Carpenter (Lee director of athletics) spent with us and his willingness to show my entire family around campus," he added.   Fielding teams that will be competitive in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) is already driving the newest Lee athletic staff member. "We plan on being competitive as quickly as possible," he said. "We have great respect for what the other teams in the GSC have achieved and we will be striving to give our young men and women the same experiences."   "Coach Hynes brings a wealth of experience, having coached at NAIA, NCAA DII and DI schools. He's a proven winner and knows what it will take to succeed in the very competitive Gulf South Conference," said Carpenter.   "He understands the mission of our university and will fit in well with our coaching staff. We are excited and looking forward to having Patric and his family join the Lee family."