Steenekamp named USTA Regional Developmental Coach of the Year
11/13/2019 8:26:00 PM | Men's Tennis
One of the greatest players in Montana history, and current Grizzly men's tennis assistant coach Jan Steenekamp has been presented one of the region's most prestigious honors, being named the USTA-Intermountain Developmental Coach of the Year, the USTA announced Tuesday.
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The annual award is given to "recognize the outstanding efforts of a developmental coach in the USTA Intermountain Section," said USTA-Montana in a press release.
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"Jan is being honored for his endless dedication to developing junior tennis players at all levels through teaching, presence at tournaments and events, and positive role-modeling, on and off the court."
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A native of East London, South Africa, Steenekamp moved to the US in 2001 to play college tennis, first at the University of Louisiana-Monroe and then at the University of Montana. He went on to become the only Grizzly to be named first-team All-Big Sky three times and has the highest-ever regional ranking (No. 18) in UM history.
In addition to helping coach at his alma mater, Steenekamp serves as the Junior Tennis Director at the PEAK Athletic Club in Missoula. He has also been involved in working the Team USA camps where he had the opportunity to work with the top juniors on a sectional, regional, and national level.Â
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"This just goes to show what great hands our team is in," said UM head coach Jason Brown. "We're incredibly lucky to have an alum like Jan coach our student-athletes, and we're proud of his accomplishments."
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He served as the coach for Team Intermountain, which competes against other sections every year. He has also served on the Montana junior Committee, Intermountain Junior committee, and the Intermountain Coaches committee for Montana and Nevada. He travels to tournaments regularly, and "is dedicated to developing junior players and ensuring they have every opportunity to grow," said the USTA-MT.
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Before joining the staff at The PEAK, Steenekamp served as Director of High Performance at the Darling Tennis Center in Las Vegas. Prior to Las Vegas, he was the Director of Tennis at the Meadowlark Country Club in Great Falls.
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The annual award is given to "recognize the outstanding efforts of a developmental coach in the USTA Intermountain Section," said USTA-Montana in a press release.
Â
"Jan is being honored for his endless dedication to developing junior tennis players at all levels through teaching, presence at tournaments and events, and positive role-modeling, on and off the court."
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A native of East London, South Africa, Steenekamp moved to the US in 2001 to play college tennis, first at the University of Louisiana-Monroe and then at the University of Montana. He went on to become the only Grizzly to be named first-team All-Big Sky three times and has the highest-ever regional ranking (No. 18) in UM history.
In addition to helping coach at his alma mater, Steenekamp serves as the Junior Tennis Director at the PEAK Athletic Club in Missoula. He has also been involved in working the Team USA camps where he had the opportunity to work with the top juniors on a sectional, regional, and national level.Â
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"This just goes to show what great hands our team is in," said UM head coach Jason Brown. "We're incredibly lucky to have an alum like Jan coach our student-athletes, and we're proud of his accomplishments."
Â
He served as the coach for Team Intermountain, which competes against other sections every year. He has also served on the Montana junior Committee, Intermountain Junior committee, and the Intermountain Coaches committee for Montana and Nevada. He travels to tournaments regularly, and "is dedicated to developing junior players and ensuring they have every opportunity to grow," said the USTA-MT.
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Before joining the staff at The PEAK, Steenekamp served as Director of High Performance at the Darling Tennis Center in Las Vegas. Prior to Las Vegas, he was the Director of Tennis at the Meadowlark Country Club in Great Falls.
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