Dec. 30, 2011

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Navy women's tennis head coach Keith Puryear will be inducted into the UMBC Athletics Hall of Fame, it was announced recently by the UMBC Athletic Department. The largest class in the history of the UMBC Athletic Hall of Fame will be inducted on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012.

Puryear won 443 matches as the UMBC mentor, recorded a 59.4 winning percentage and earned nine conference Coach of the Year honors during his final decade of coaching at UMBC. His men's teams appeared in five NCAA Tournaments (2000-2003, 2007), while the women also made five trips (1999-2003) to NCAA competition. Puryear also competed on the courts for UMBC after transferring from Howard University and before serving in the United States Marine Corps from 1983-88.

Puryear has taken over the fledgling Navy women's tennis program, leading the team to the finals of the Patriot League Conference tournament in just the program's second year. His first season at Navy produced a 13-4 overall record and a spot in the Patriot League Tournament semfinals in 2010. With an extremely young roster, the team posted a 22-10 overall record, a 3-0 record in Patriot League regular-season play and a spot in the tournament finals in 2011. He was rewarded with his 10th conference Coach of the Year award and had three players earn all-Patriot League honors last year. In just two years, Puryear has guided the Midshipmen to a 35-14 (.714) dual-meet record and an 8-3 (.727) mark against all Patriot League competition.

Puryear's squads are also successful in the classroom. Last year's Navy team had four players earn Patriot League Academic Honor Roll accolades, and UMBC's women's tennis squad posted a grade-point average of 3.49 in 2008, best amongst all the programs in the America East Conference.

His recruiting classes have ranked among the nation's top mid-major in the country and this year's 2012 squad will feature no seniors and a slew of talented underclassmen.

The Navy women's tennis team begins its spring dual-meet season on January 21, when it hosts St. Francis (Pa.) and Morgan State at the Tose Family Tennis Center at the Brigade Sports Complex in Annapolis.

# GO NAVY #