Bartlett to bring All-American experience to Griz tennis

After being named the D-II ITA National Senior of the Year, Chase Bartlett wanted the chance to challenge himself at the highest level of college tennis.

As a born-and-raised Texan, he also wanted the chance to trade the hill country of Austin for the high country of Montana.

So, when the men's tennis program at St. Edward's (Texas) fell victim to budget cuts, and having already earned an undergraduate degree in Theology (with minors in writing and rhetoric and German), he reached out to UM head coach Jason Brown to inquire about potential opportunities with the Griz.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Bartlett has officially accepted an admissions offer from the University of Montana and comes to Missoula as a graduate transfer to play for the Grizzlies in his final year of eligibility.

"I was just looking for something new. New challenges and new ways to grow," said Bartlett.

"Montana is quieter and more outdoorsy. I like to get out and enjoy nature, which I don't really get that often in Texas."

As D-II All-American with a top-10 national ranking and the defending Lone Star Conference Player of the Year, Bartlett seemingly accomplished everything possible on the court with the No. 6-ranked Hilltoppers.

Now he comes to Montana to take the next step in his college career, and help lead the Griz back to the NCAA tournament. He also plans to stay on for another year as a graduate assistant coach while pursuing an MBA from the UM College of Business, hoping to make an even longer-lasting impact on his new program, just like he did with his old one.

"When I started at St. Edward's, we were unranked, and when I finished, we were top-six in the country. So, it was cool to be a part of that and see it change in front of you and through you," Bartlett added.

"But I've always wanted to be a D-I athlete, and this is a cool opportunity. It's a second chance to see something new."

It was more than just mountains and a strong tennis tradition that made Bartlett choose Montana over other opportunities at Boise State, Idaho State, and his former rival school St. Mary's (Texas). The mountains didn't hurt, though.

"We actually have a friend who lives here, so we just stopped by, and we were like, wow, this is beautiful. That was a big part of it," he said.

"Coach (Brown) is also a great guy, and I got that sense from the very beginning in talking to him. We got along pretty well. That's obviously something that's going to be one of the biggest decisions when you're trying to figure out where to go. Will you have a coach you'll gel with and get some good work done. It's been awesome."

When measuring up the Griz, he didn't just take the coaches' word for it either.

"The other part is the guys. They're a bunch of good guys, and they get along well. I talked to a couple of them and some graduates as well. They were nice but also really open about it, too, which distinguished Montana from the others. It felt like the right choice," said Bartlett.

Heading into summer after a COVID-shortened spring season, Brown wasn't actively recruiting for the 2021 team when he received an email from Bartlett. But with a tennis resume as long as his arm and a 3.99 GPA to boot, the inquiry piqued the fourth-year head coaches' interest.

Montana lost two seniors to graduation in the spring of 2020 in Max Korkh and Ludvig Hallgren but is expected to return one of the most exciting, if young teams in program history, with no rising seniors set to take a leadership role. For Brown, that's where Bartlett comes in.

"I received his email and immediately thought he'd be a perfect fit," said Brown.

"I don't usually take transfers. I want to be a development coach. I want four years with kids - take them from number six to number one on our squad. But Chase is such an exemplary guy and has such a complete resume. He checks all the boxes I look for in a recruit, he's everything you'd want on and off the court. But instead of recruiting him as an 18-year old, we're getting him at 22."

And it's that experience, paired with rising Grizzly stars like Oisin Shaffrey and Ed Pudney, that Brown thinks could position UM – already considered one of the favorites in the league – to be a serious title contender come spring.

"Having played somewhere else, he'll be seeing the Big Sky Conference with fresh eyes, it will be a completely new experience for him. So, I have the opportunity to learn from that as well," says Brown.

"Getting someone who has a different base of knowledge that I respect to help make me a better coach and make him a better player. It's a win-win."

MORE ON BARTLETT

CAREER RECORD

YEAR	SINGLES	DOUBLES
2017	16-10	16-17
2018	10-10	13-10
2019	6-5	12-5
2020	7-1	7-0
TOTAL	39-26	48-32

AWARDS

LSC Commissioner's Honor Roll - Fall 2019
LSC Player of the Week - 2/27/20
ITA All-America - singles and doubles - 2020
ITA National Senior of the Year - 2020
ITA Regional Senior of the Year - 2020
Google Cloud Academic All-America 2018
ITA Fall Regional Singles Champion - 2018
Heartland Conference First Team - 2017, 2018, 2019
Heartland Conference Player of the Year - 2019
Heartland Conference Freshman of the Year - 2017
Heartland Conference Player of the Week (4/11/17, Week 10, 2019)
ITA Scholar-Athlete
Heartland Conference President's Honor Roll - four times
Dean's List - six times
Academic Excellence Award
Martin Scholars Program Inductee

AT ST. EDWARD'S

Major: Theology
Minor: English, German
Alpha Phi Omega
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee - President
Theta Alpha Kappa
Honors Program

HIGH SCHOOL

2014 Texas Sectional - 4th place
Highest Rankings - 4th (Texas); 60th (Nation)

PERSONAL

Parents: Steve and Amy Bartlett
Sibling: Faith

University of Montana Athletics

Bartlett to bring All-American experience to Griz tennis

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Ludvig Hallgren

Max Korkh

Ed Pudney

Oisin Shaffrey

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