West Chester University of Pennsylvania Men's Tennis

Tharp is in her sixth season as the mens and womens tennis head coach at West Chester University where she has orchestrated one of the most impressive turnarounds in college tennis. She came to West Chester from the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education where she served as its executive director. Overall, Tharp has authored a combined mens and womens record of 97-105 (.480) while at West Chester University. Her women are 62-46 over the past five campaigns while her men are 35-59. Seven of her women have been named All-PSAC while Tharp walked away with the loop's coach of the year award on the women's side in back-to-back campaigns (2010-2011). Tharp has qualified for the PSAC postseason tournament three times with her women while guiding the men to the playoffs for the first time in 2012-13. Her women reached the conference semifinals in 2011. The men picked up the school's first PSAC regular-season title in 2013, going 4-1 against PSAC competition and finishing in first place. The Golden Rams reached the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament, before bowing out of the playoffs. Tharp inherited a men's program that was mired in a 23-match losing streak entering the 2008-09 campaign. In five short seasons, Tharp has guided her men to a regular-season conference crown. In 2012-13, West Chester's men's squad also defeated both perennial Eastern Division powers Kutztown and Bloomsburg in the same weekend. It marked the first time since at least the turn of the century that West Chester had defeated either school. In 2009-10, Tharp coached the womens team to a 13-7 mark and 3-2 conference record. West Chester Universitys womens squad qualified for the PSAC postseason team tournament in 2010 for the first time since the conference adopted a dual-match tournament format in 2004. Along the way, she coached Claire Afrassiabian to a 16-0 record in singles match play. Both Afrassiabian and Tharp were honored with PSAC awards; Afrassiabian was named an all-league selection and Tharp received coach of the year.  The mens team finished 7-10 overall, improving upon their 3-15 record from the previous year. Tharp guided the womens tennis squad to a 9-10 overall record and 2-3 slate in the PSAC Eastern Division in 2008-09 while the mens team won its first dual match since 2006, ending a 23-match losing streak. Mens first singles occupant, Jeff Rightnour, downed the PSAC individual champion from Bloomsburg, Fernando Perez, during the teams dual match in April 2009 to highlight the mens season. Tharp drastically improved a mens team that had not been competitive within the conference over the past several seasons. On the womens side, 10 different singles players authored a combined overall record of 57-57 during the fall and spring campaigns. Teresa Grasso was 13-4 while No. 1 singles player, Maria Kostaris, was 7-11 against some of the conferences top competition. She holds certification with the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR). Tharp played collegiate tennis at Penn State University where she graduated with a degree in Exercise and Sport Science in 1989. She has received accreditation from the USA Tennis high performance coaching program. Additionally, she is a certified USTA and ITA umpire and referee. Tharp came to West Chester from the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education where she served as its executive director. Tharp serves the Professional Tennis Registry as an international clinician and is the chairperson of the PTR womens committee. She also served this organization as an executive member of its National Tester Committee. Tharp has been nationally recognized for her successful and innovative programming skills. Her highly acclaimed article How to Establish a Developmental Plan published in the February 2003 issue of Tennis Pro magazine has been translated in seven languages. Tharp currently volunteers as a management consultant for the Rodney Street Tennis and Tutoring Association in Wilmington, Del. Tharp has held prior positions as the head professional at the Cleveland Country Club in Shelby, N.C., Overbrook Golf Club, Bryn Mawr, Pa., the head womens tennis coach at Eastern University in Wayne, Pa. Before obtaining certification as a tennis professional, Tharp was the Administrative Director of the Ebel Philadelphia Indoor, a prestigious ATP championship event. Tina Tharp Head Coach Tina Tharp is in her sixth season as the mens and womens tennis head coach at West Chester University where she has orchestrated one of the most impressive turnarounds in college tennis. She came to West Chester from the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education where she served as its executive director. Overall, Tharp has authored a combined mens and womens record of 97-105 (.480) while at West Chester University. Her women are 62-46 over the past five campaigns while her men are 35-59. Seven of her women have been named All-PSAC while Tharp walked away with the loop's coach of the year award on the women's side in back-to-back campaigns (2010-2011). Tharp has qualified for the PSAC postseason tournament three times with her women while guiding the men to the playoffs for the first time in 2012-13. Her women reached the conference semifinals in 2011. The men picked up the school's first PSAC regular-season title in 2013, going 4-1 against PSAC competition and finishing in first place. The Golden Rams reached the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament, before bowing out of the playoffs. Tharp inherited a men's program that was mired in a 23-match losing streak entering the 2008-09 campaign. In five short seasons, Tharp has guided her men to a regular-season conference crown. In 2012-13, West Chester's men's squad also defeated both perennial Eastern Division powers Kutztown and Bloomsburg in the same weekend. It marked the first time since at least the turn of the century that West Chester had defeated either school. In 2009-10, Tharp coached the womens team to a 13-7 mark and 3-2 conference record. West Chester Universitys womens squad qualified for the PSAC postseason team tournament in 2010 for the first time since the conference adopted a dual-match tournament format in 2004. Along the way, she coached Claire Afrassiabian to a 16-0 record in singles match play. Both Afrassiabian and Tharp were honored with PSAC awards; Afrassiabian was named an all-league selection and Tharp received coach of the year.  The mens team finished 7-10 overall, improving upon their 3-15 record from the previous year. Tharp guided the womens tennis squad to a 9-10 overall record and 2-3 slate in the PSAC Eastern Division in 2008-09 while the mens team won its first dual match since 2006, ending a 23-match losing streak. Mens first singles occupant, Jeff Rightnour, downed the PSAC individual champion from Bloomsburg, Fernando Perez, during the teams dual match in April 2009 to highlight the mens season. Tharp drastically improved a mens team that had not been competitive within the conference over the past several seasons. On the womens side, 10 different singles players authored a combined overall record of 57-57 during the fall and spring campaigns. Teresa Grasso was 13-4 while No. 1 singles player, Maria Kostaris, was 7-11 against some of the conferences top competition. She holds certification with the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR). Tharp played collegiate tennis at Penn State University where she graduated with a degree in Exercise and Sport Science in 1989. She has received accreditation from the USA Tennis high performance coaching program. Additionally, she is a certified USTA and ITA umpire and referee. Tharp came to West Chester from the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education where she served as its executive director. Tharp serves the Professional Tennis Registry as an international clinician and is the chairperson of the PTR womens committee. She also served this organization as an executive member of its National Tester Committee. Tharp has been nationally recognized for her successful and innovative programming skills. Her highly acclaimed article How to Establish a Developmental Plan published in the February 2003 issue of Tennis Pro magazine has been translated in seven languages. Tharp currently volunteers as a management consultant for the Rodney Street Tennis and Tutoring Association in Wilmington, Del. Tharp has held prior positions as the head professional at the Cleveland Country Club in Shelby, N.C., Overbrook Golf Club, Bryn Mawr, Pa., the head womens tennis coach at Eastern University in Wayne, Pa. Before obtaining certification as a tennis professional, Tharp was the Administrative Director of the Ebel Philadelphia Indoor, a prestigious ATP championship event.