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Ramsey Smith Returns To Duke Men?s Tennis Program
7/15/2005 1:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
DURHAM, N.C. ? Former Duke men's tennis standout Ramsey Smith will return to his alma mater as an assistant coach, announced on Thursday by head coach Jay Lapidus.
“We are anxious and thrilled to have Ramsey back at Duke,” Lapidus said. “He is one of the best players ever to play in the ACC, and he'll bring a wealth of knowledge, enthusiasm and experience to our program.”
A native of Hilton Head, S.C., Smith lettered four seasons under Lapidus from 1998-01 and won a school-record 119 career singles matches. He helped the Blue Devils to four-year records of 96-11 overall and 32-0 in conference regular season action along with four ACC Championships, four top 10 national rankings and three NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearances. Smith finished his career with a 119-37 singles record and 103-47 doubles ledger.
“I am extremely excited for this opportunity to come back to Duke as the assistant men's tennis coach,” Smith said. “There isn't a more perfect place for me to start my college coaching career. I am especially looking forward to working with Jay Lapidus to take the program to an NCAA championship.”
Smith was a two-time All-America, three-time All-ACC and two-time ACC Tournament MVP selection. In addition, he was a two-time recipient of the Tennis Magazine/Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship Award and was named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary Team in 2002. Smith played one year of professional tennis, posting an ATP world ranking of 603 before suffering a career-ending shoulder injury in September of 2002. He reached the semifinals at Futures Tournaments in Malibu, Calif., Chetumal, Mexico, and Little Rock, Ark.
Smith joins the Duke staff after working with the Stan Smith Billy Stearns Tennis Academy, where he served as a coach, camp organizer and academy secretary since January of 2003. He also spent two summers (2003 & 2004) as a full-time fly fishing guide with Alaska West Sportfishing.
Born September 4, 1978, Smith received a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Duke in 2001.
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