BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. – When Kelcy McKenna took the coaching reins of the Wisconsin women’s tennis program in 2016, her to-do list was extensive and understandably so.
The Badgers were ranked 253 out of 264 NCAA Division I programs when McKenna arrived, then lost 16 of 20 matches overall and went winless in the Big Ten Conference during her debut season.
At the top of that check list was creating a competitive roster out of three returnees and refurbishing a program that hadn’t had a winning season since 2011.
McKenna has been crossing off items ever since. In 2018, she had a freshman, Lexi Keberle, earn first-team all-Big Ten honors. In 2019, McKenna steered Wisconsin to 18 wins, a runner-up finish in league play and its first NCAA tournament berth since 2006. After navigating issues brought on by the global pandemic in ’20 and ’21, McKenna guided UW to 18 wins and a top-50 ranking last season that left it just shy of an NCAA tournament berth.
Now look at them.
Moving ⬆️ once again! Wisconsin receives its highest @ITA_Tennis team ranking since 1996. The Badgers jump eleven spots to No. 11 🙌 pic.twitter.com/XJsbVgrilU
— Wisconsin Tennis (@BadgerWTennis) February 21, 2023
The Badgers (9-2 overall) are ranked 11th nationally – their highest slot since 1996 when they finished the season at No. 9 – heading into Big Ten play which begins next month.
“They’re doing an unbelievable job of giving more than they take and playing together,” McKenna said. “It’s a pretty cool thing for the program.”
McKenna was asked to describe the vibe around her veteran-laden club.
“Hungry,” she said. “They’re hungry to get better. They really try to push each other every day to elevate their teammates. They’re intense and dialed in.”
Wisconsin is led by seniors Ava Markham (ranked No. 62 among singles players) and Xinyu Cai (No. 101) and freshman Maria Sholokhova (No. 88).
“I value the effort, the attitude and the resiliency that they’re bringing every day to practice,” McKenna said of her student-athletes. “I like the attitude that they’re coming in with.”
McKenna said Taylor Russo, a first-year assistant coach out of Auburn, has had a major impact as a “go-getter who has really connected with the team.”
UW lost to two top-10 programs – No. 1 North Carolina and No. 10 Duke – but McKenna believes the…
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