HOLLAND - Jorge Capestany has been named manager of the DeWitt Tennis Center at Hope College.

He comes to Hope a 22-year veteran of the tennis industry. In 1992 he became the youngest Master Professional in the history of the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), and he is currently one of only 120 Master Professionals worldwide.

"All of us associated with Hope College are thrilled to have a person of Jorge's experience and professionalism associated with the DeWitt Tennis Center," said Dr. R. Richard Ray Jr., who is professor and chairperson of the department of kinesiology and coordinator of the athletic training program at Hope. "He is one of the nation's outstanding tennis professionals, and we look forward with great excitement to the kinds of tennis opportunities he can help build at the DeWitt Tennis Center along with the rest of our talented and dedicated tennis staff. Holland is a tennis town, and Jorge Capestany will be a tremendous asset to all Hollanders who love the game."

Capestany will start at the college on Monday, Nov. 17, and will be responsible for overseeing and coordinating the entire operation of the tennis center. He succeeds Dwayne "Tiger" Teusink, who retired earlier this fall after managing the center since 1998.

Karen Page will continue to serve as director of tennis at the DeWitt Tennis Center and women's tennis coach. Steve Gorno will continue to serve as men's tennis coach at Hope.

For the past 10 years, Capestany has been tennis manager at the East Hills Athletic Club, Orchard Hills Swim & Sports Club, and Michigan Athletic Club. From 1985 to 1993, he was director of tennis at Ramblewood Tennis & Health Club.

He has been named "Michigan Pro of the Year" on five separate occasions and "Midwest Professional of the Year" on two separate occasions by the USPTA. Other honors include being named "Man of the Year" by the Grand Rapids Tennis Patrons and receiving the Cap Leighton Award from the Midwest section of the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

Capestany is the author of the book "Strategy - an On-Court Guide to Beating Every Style of Player." He is a past president of the Western Michigan USTA district and the USPTA Midwest Division. He founded the West Michigan Tennis Academy in 2003.

He is a 1984 graduate of Grand Valley State University, and is USTA Sports Science level 1-certified.

The college's DeWitt Tennis Center provides six indoor tennis courts as well as men's and women's locker rooms. The center offers a variety of community memberships in addition to supporting the tennis programs at the college and being available for general use by Hope students.

Dedicated in October of 1994, the center is located near Holland Municipal Stadium on Fairbanks Avenue at 13th Street. The facility is named for the Gary and Joyce DeWitt family.

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