Former CNU Player and Coach to Lead Both Marlin Programs

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. --- Worth Richardson is not wasting any time looking at prospective student-athletes for Virginia Wesleyan College.

A day into his new position as the Director of Tennis for the Marlins, Richardson is on the road in northern Virginia attending tournament play to scout out individuals capable of extending the success he has inherited at VWC.

He fills the position vacated by John Brinkman, who retired after a five-year stint that produced some of the best tennis records in VWC history. He guided the men's teams to a 61-20 record and the women to a 64-17mark, highlighted by the best single-seasons ever for the Marlins. The 2006 men's team produced a program-record 17-2 finish, as did the women, who set a new mark for total victories this spring with 18 wins in 21 matches.

Brinkman also directed the men and women to first-ever runner-up finishes in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). His No. 1 men's doubles team of Eric Caudill and Jeff Zenisek won the ODAC doubles crown in 2006 and qualified this past spring for the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. The 2007 women's team also earned its first regional ranking, finishing the season at No. 15 in the South Atlantic.

"Worth brings a lot of enthusiasm and energy to the program," said VWC Associate Athletics Director and assistant tennis coach Joanne Renn. "His ability to evaluate talent is evident by his past success and we are looking forward to seeing him utilize his leadership skills in helping the VWC tennis program to continue to grow. He definitely knows the game and we're thrilled to have him."

A tennis professional for the past three years at the James River Country Club in Newport News, Richardson is also the co-director of the James River Tennis Academy, a developmental program for top junior and college players in the area. It includes players in top 25-ranked Division I programs and top 10-ranked juniors in the Mid-Atlantic Section of the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

For the past year Richardson has also served as an assistant men's tennis coach at his alma mater, Christopher Newport University. He was a primary recruiter for the Captains and helped to bring in one of the top groups of student-athletes in CNU history last season.

Richardson was a four-year starter for CNU and compiled a 39-28 singles record and a 43-25 doubles mark. He finished 5-1 at No. 5 singles as a senior and 10-4 at the No. 4 flight as a junior. He finished with a career-best 13-5 singles record as a junior. In doubles he posted a 13-4 mark as a junior, including a 12-3 showing at the No. 2 flight. He played No. 2 doubles for CNU for three consecutive years and compiled a 24-10 record at that flight. Overall, CNU posted a 45-24 record during his four years.

An All-USA South Conference and all-tournament honoree in 2006, Richardson is an active competitor in the USTA circuit. He has been ranked as high as No. 27 in the Mid-Atlantic South Section in the men's open division, was the 2006 men's open doubles champion in the Champion of Battleground tournament and finished as a quarterfinalist in the 2007 Virginia State Men's Clay Court Open.

He is a 2006 graduate of CNU with a degree in economics and placed in the top three in the Luter School of Business' national business field test.