CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois women’s tennis head coach Evan Clark and the University of Illinois have agreed to a three-year contract extension through 2025-26, Director of Athletics Josh Whitman announced Tuesday. The extension is pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees at its meeting next week.
“We are pleased with the progress our women’s tennis program has shown under Evan’s leadership, and we are excited for him to continue building on the foundation he has spent his early years creating,” said Whitman. “Evan has worked exceptionally hard in recruiting, and his teams have performed at a high level. Just as importantly, away from the court, Evan’s student-athletes have embraced all facets of their opportunity at the University of Illinois. With Evan’s continued leadership, I have great confidence in the future of Fighting Illini Women’s Tennis and look forward to them achieving even greater heights.”
“I want to thank Josh Whitman for his unwavering support of me and our program over the years,” opened Evan Clark. “Josh gave me my initial opportunity to lead this program and I’m so grateful that he continues to trust me to lead the Illinois Women’s Tennis program moving forward. Our athletic department’s commitment and support is second to none, so I am extremely proud and very fortunate to be the head coach at this great university.”
Under Coach Clark, Illinois has emerged as one of the premier programs in the Big Ten, having finished third, fourth, tied for fourth and tied for third in the conference within the last six years.
The 2021-22 campaign was one of growth and promise as the Illini ended the regular season with a 15-8 overall record and finished tied for third with an 8-3 mark in the Big Ten Conference, marking the fifth time in six seasons (excluding 2020 due to COVID-19) that the Illini finished fourth or better in the conference standings. Illinois closed its regular season home slate with an impressive 11-1 record, a tie for the second-most wins in a home schedule in program history.
“Any benefit, praise, award or extension that I have received is a direct result of my student-athletes’ success and hard work on the court and in the classroom,” Clark continued. “It is their hard work in the classroom, in practice and their performance in matches that makes any of this…
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