Ware Moves Up To Associate Head Coach

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Longtime UNCW assistant coach John Ware has been elevated to associate head coach of the UNCW women's tennis team.

Ware has been associated with the Seahawk women's tennis program for 23 years, arriving in the Port City in 2000 and working alongside head coaches Jenny Garrity, Evan Clark and Hans Olsen.

He will continue many of his same duties for the program, which achieved a national ranking of No. 72 last spring.

"This promotion is well-deserved," said Hans Olsen, who begins his eighth season as head coach. "John has been the heart and soul of Seahawk women's tennis for many years. His hard work and loyalty to the program has been outstanding.

"Every great moment that our players have experienced over the last two decades have included Coach Ware. I appreciate John and all he brings to our student-athletes every day."
Ware served as interim head coach during the 2014-15 campaign after Clark accepted the top position at the University of Illinois.

With the departure of Clark to Illinois, Ware headed up the program in 2014-15 and guided the Seahawks to a 9-9 finish. Senior Alyssa Ritchie was selected to the Capital One Academic All-District 3 Women's At-Large Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and honored by the CAA as the league's Women's Tennis Scholar Athlete-of-the-Year for 2014-15.

Ritchie, now a surgeon in Ohio, was one of two nominees from the CAA for the NCAA's prestigious Woman-of-the-Year Award.

During Ware's tenure with the Seahawks, UNCW has placed numerous players on All-Conference squads in the Colonial Athletic Association, including former standouts Lindsey Hess and Christina Lee, who were honored on five different occasions by the CAA's coaches.

"From day one, our coaching staff has always been dedicated to making a positive impact on our student-athletes," said Ware. "My passion and enjoyment is being on the court with our players each day. I appreciate our Seahawk family and am very excited about the future of Seahawk women's tennis."

Ware played a key role in the school's first CAA championship in 2014. UNCW compiled a sparkling 17-4 record in 2013-14 and nailed down the No. 1 seed at the CAA Tournament for the first time. The Seahawks defeated Charleston, 4-3, for the school's first women's crown. UNCW also reached the CAA finals in 2017.

Ware has extensive playing and coaching experience. He competed collegiately for Valdosta State's top-20 team from 1989-90 and served on the staffs at the Athens (Ga.) Country Club and Jennings Mills Country Club.

The Athens, Ga., native began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at Kentucky in 1999-00 and was involved with all aspects of the UK program before moving to Wilmington.

Ware completed his Bachelor's Degree in Finance from Georgia in 1995. He also earned a degree in Liberal Studies from UNCW in 2011.

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Ware Moves Up To Associate Head Coach