University Southern California Trojans
Women's Tennis
- Title:
- Women's Tennis Assistant Coach
- Email:
- cwootton@usc.edu
Chris Woottonenters his third year as the Assistant Coach for the USC women's tennis team.
Under his tutelage, the Women of Troy improved from being finishing as the No. 48 ranked team in 2018 to No. 16 in 2019 (with a season high ranking of No. 11). In addition, he has coached two Top 50 ranked singles players (Gabby Smith and Salma Ewing) and the 2019 NCAA doubles semifinalists and No. 3 ranked pair in the nation (Angela Kulikovand Rianna Valdes).
Wootton arrived at Troy after most recently coaching one year at Williams College under Swain in 2016-17. He coached the women’s tennis team to the 2017 NCAA Division III national team championship. Woottoncoached five All-Americans during his year at Williams. In the 2017 season, he coached the Ephs to a 20-4 overall record (.833). In addition to winning the national championship, Williams claimed the New England Small College Athletic Conference title for the third year in a row.
Before coaching the Ephs, Woottonwas the men’s graduate assistant for the University of Texas at Tyler, where he coached the Patriots to an 18-10 overall record and their eighth American Southwest Conference title. That season, UTT reached the Round of 16 at the NCAA Division III National Championships.
Before becoming a coach, Woottoncompeted for the men’s tennis team at Mississippi College (2011-13) and the University of Texas at Tyler (2013-15) where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. While competing at UTT, Woottonwas named an All-American in doubles in 2015. He is the oldest All-American in NCAA history in any sport across all divisions as he earned All-American status at age 39.
Wootton taught tennis throughout the South between the years of 1995 and 2011, when he coached over 50 NCAA college tennis players and over 20 ATP/WTA touring pros. In 2009, he was named the Director of Tennis at a 14-court public tennis facility in Jackson, Miss.
He played professionally for six years collecting both singles and doubles wins over top 100 ATP players.
As a youth player, Woottonwas ranked in the Top 25 in both singles and doubles in the Boys 18’s in the USTA in 1994. He earned the Reebok U.S. National Tennis Player of the Year Award in 1991 at the age of 15.
Wootton, age 43, is married to his wife, Robin. He has two daughters, Christiane, 21 and Isabel, 18.
