Oneonta Sports Information Department
SUNY Oneonta Director of Athletics Ryan Hooper has announced Whitney Kraft as the new Men's and Women's Tennis Head Coach, following the retirement of Lonnie Mitchell. Kraft joins the Red Dragons after serving 14 years as the Director of Tennis at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
"I am excited to welcome Whitney to our Athletic Department staff as our new Men's and Women's Tennis coach," said Hooper. "With his 30 plus years of tennis experience, Whitney will be taking over two already successful programs, with the women's team coming off of their first ever conference championship and the men playing competitive tennis in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. He has made an instant connection with his student athletes, and I look forward to watching his tennis philosophy play out on the court."
At the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Kraft managed over 30 United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) tennis professionals and support staff, supervised all camps, private events and tournaments, and was the Director of Player Operations for the U.S. Open. In 2014, he helped establish the Guinness World Record for the World's Largest Tennis Lesson with 406 children from the New York Junior Tennis League (NYJTL) and Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program (HJTEP).
Prior to working at the National Tennis Center, Kraft was the Director of Tennis for the City of Fort Lauderdale for 10 years. He oversaw the daily maintenance and upkeep of 44 courts across nine different facilities, and developed and promoted new programs, both social and competitive, to benefit all ages and levels of play. He also directed City Championships as well as State, National and International USTA Tournaments, including Tournament Director for both the USTA Boy's 14 Clay Court National Championships and the USTA Open National Clay Court Championships.
Before Fort Lauderdale, Kraft was the Director of Racquet Sports at Boca Pointe Country Club for 12 years. He managed over 20 staff while providing service to 3,500 members at a private club that included 29 clay tennis courts, and multiple squash and racquetball courts.
Previous to being director, Kraft coached the inaugural season of the men's and women's tennis teams at Lynn University in 1984.
As a collegiate athlete, Kraft was a letterman at the University of Arizona from 1977-1980 and was an All-American singles player at Florida Atlantic University in 1982. In 2006, he was in the inaugural class inducted into FAU Athletics Hall of Fame.
Kraft, a native of Summit, N.J., is a four-time National Mixed Open Champion and a certified professional in tennis, platform tennis, pickleball, Padel and beach tennis.
