To Candidates for the Princeton Tennis Program Fall 2004-Winter 2005 Thank you for your interest in Princeton University and the women’s tennis team. Princeton offers a nationally competitive NCAA Division I tennis program with Varsity and Junior Varsity teams. The following information is intended to provide a general overview of Princeton University. Please visit our websites (www.collegetennisonline.com & goprincetontigers.com) for further updated information on the current season. THE UNIVERSITY The past four years (2000-2004), U.S. News and World Report has ranked Princeton University #1 in the country in their annual review of U.S. colleges and universities. Princeton’s strength is its undergraduate program. There are 4,600 undergraduate students and only 1,700 graduate students. The highly renowned faculty teach freshman classes, serve as preceptors, and work individually with students in their junior and senior years. The academic environment at Princeton is challenging, stimulating, and competitive. CAMPUS LIFE Almost all students live on campus; classes and athletic facilities are walking distance from their dorms. Princeton's Frist Campus Center has been recognized as one of the most outstanding and innovative University Student Centers in the country. It is designed to foster and facilitate social and academic interaction between students and the university community. The Residential College system for freshmen and sophomores serves as both a social network and an academic support resource. The University is located in the beautiful town of Princeton, just one hour from New York City and Philadelphia. With a train station on campus, these big cities and their major airports (Newark, Philadelphia, JFK, LaGuardia) are easily accessible to students. ACADEMIC SUPPORT Princeton provides a vast array of academic support. The Residential Colleges provide tutors, a director of studies, college masters and senior fellows, faculty advisors and peer advisors. Special help is also available through departmental representatives, class deans, individual faculty members, the Writing Center, study halls for math, physics and chemistry, and review sessions. Departmental representatives and independent work advisors work especially closely with the junior and senior class members. ATHLETICS For the past 10 years Princeton has won more Ivy League titles than any other Ivy school. Princeton regularly sends players and teams to NCAA Team and Individual Championships. Princeton has won a team or individual National Championship every year for the past 18 years. In Princeton Senior Exit Surveys, the students' varsity athletic experience is consistently ranked highest of all categories. Princeton's NCAA Division I results, combined with its outstanding athletic facilities, have earned Princeton a top 20 - 25 Sears poll ranking for Division I four years running - the best record of any Ivy school! In 2002, Sports Illustrated for Women ranked Princeton as one of the top 10 schools in the country for Division I women athletes. THE TENNIS PROGRAM Princeton’s women’s tennis team has been nationally competitive since the team was established in 1971. Princeton was the first East Regional team to receive a top 20 national ranking. The Tiger squad annually challenges for the Ivy League title and a bid to the NCAA Championships. In 2000, Princeton was the undefeated Ivy League Champion and received a bid to the NCAA Team Championships. Princeton has had several players join the WTA tour after graduation. Kavitha Krishnamurthy ’03, is currently on tour and participated in the NCAA’s three of her four years. She was ranked among the top 35 college players in the nation for most of her career. As a senior she was named as an ITA Scholar Athlete and the East Region Senior Player of the Year. Also on tour are Shikha Uberoi and Neha Uberoi, who both played their freshman year for Princeton. The Varsity Team has a fall season, September-December, consisting of up to 5 individual tournaments, and a team season, January-May, consisting of up to 20 dual matches. Team training sessions are up to 3 hours, six days a week, in season. At least two days a week practices are run as individuals or small group workouts. A strength-training program is designed for the team, emphasizing explosiveness, flexibility, and injury prevention. Our conditioning program includes pool workouts, yoga, and on-court tennis-specific movement drills. Other components of the tennis program include video analysis, individual meetings to assess goals and progress, and team-building workshops. FACILITIES Princeton University’s tennis facilities continue to be among the best in the East. The University is in the process of enhancing its current 17 court outdoor facility; included are plans for a new tennis building that will house locker rooms with showers and a team conference room. Our newly re-surfaced 6 indoor courts are located in Jadwin Gym, one of the largest multi-sport facilities in the East. Because of our tremendous facilities and Princeton’s central location within the East Region, the university hosts many of the major regional tournaments. THE COACHES Kathy Sell, whose tennis career at Duke was marked by success on and off the court, was named the Head Women's Tennis Coach at Princeton University on May 18th. Sell replaces Louise Gengler, who retired after 25 seasons at Princeton, the longest tenure of a female coach in school history. Sell comes to Princeton from the University of Oregon, where she was an assistant coach for the Ducks for two seasons. Sell has a bachelor's degree in cultural anthropology, and is finishing her master's degree in anthropology through the University of Oregon. Sell is a 2001 graduate of Duke, where she was a member of the 1998 NCAA National Championship Runner-up Team and 1999 NCAA Final Four Team. Sell was the first female recipient of the Senior Athlete of the Year award at Duke. Her highest NCAA singles ranking was seventh during her senior year, when she also earned All-American honors. Marc Lucero, a 2002 graduate of Boston College (BS Economics) and former captain of the men’s tennis team, comes to Princeton as a first year Assistant Coach. He was three times named to the BIG EAST Academic-All Star Team and led the Eagles in wins between 1998-2002. After college, he spent a year traveling and playing futures events. Lucero attended USD School of Law between 2003-2004. Most recently, Lucero worked with the University of San Diego High School and junior, college, and up-and-coming ATP/WTA players in San Diego. THE MARX EUROPEAN TOUR Once every four years, the Princeton tennis program funds a competitive tennis trip to Europe for the top 8 men and top 8 women on the varsity teams. Princeton is the only school in the country to offer such an extensive and funded tour for both teams. In past years teams have played at Oxford, Cambridge, Roland Garros, Monte Carlo, the Queen’s Club and several other clubs in England, France, Ireland, Germany and Switzerland. The next European Tour will be in the summer of 2006. ALUMNI Princeton alumni are among the most loyal and dedicated in the country. Princeton's alumni support the University with the largest endowment per capita of any major university in the country. There are heavily attended reunions every year for Princeton alumni. THE JUNIOR VARSITY PROGRAM Princeton offers a junior varsity program that has both a fall and a spring season, each about 5 weeks in length. The J.V. team practices 2 hours a day, five days a week. Their travel is limited to day trips. The top 4 or 5 players on the squad have been ranked in the top 15 – 40 range of their USTA section or have a USTA national ranking near the 200’s. The others have a high state ranking or a strong high school record. Our JV team is competitive with the top nationally ranked Division III programs. THE PRINCETON TENNIS COMMITMENT Princeton’s tennis program is committed to ensuring that the student-athlete has a balanced college experience. The Princeton teams are consistently named to the ITA All-Academic team. This past year we had six players – no other school had more - named as ITA Scholar-Athletes. Princeton’s daily environment includes a vast array of social and academic experiences and challenges, which encourage growth in areas beyond the world of tennis. Through our Faculty Fellows program, we include renowned faculty members in our team activities. We are fortunate to have nationally recognized Marta Tienda from the Woodrow Wilson School and composer Steve Mackey from the music department serve as our tennis team Faculty Fellows. FINANCIAL AID Princeton University DOES NOT offer athletic or academic scholarships. However, the university has the best financial aid program within the Ivy League. It is based solely on family need. Neither athletic ability nor academic achievements are taken into consideration when putting together the need-based package. Princeton’s admissions are need-blind. For information about Princeton University’s Financial Aid Program log on to www.princeton.edu. Go to the Admissions and Aid page, to Financial Aid Information, and to the Early Estimator. ADMISSIONS The Princeton admissions process is very competitive. There are no absolute standards. Applications are thoroughly reviewed by the Admissions Office with consideration given to the many ways a candidate might contribute to university life. All completed applications are sent to and processed through the Admissions Office. Further information is available at www.princeton.edu. For Princeton University’s information packet as well as application forms, contact the Admissions Office directly: Admission Office Princeton University P.O. Box 430 Princeton, NJ 08544 - 0430 Phone: (609) 268-3060 For Varsity Tennis Candidates, please send national player records, national tournament schedules, academic transcripts and relevant testing scores (SAT/ACT, SAT II) to Kathy Sell: P.O. Box 71 – Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, NJ 08544