Kutztown men’s and women’s tennis head coach Suresh Ramamurthi is no stranger to publicity and praise. Coming into this season, he already had ten total PSAC championships under his belt. After this season, you can up that total to 13 as he coached the men to their eleventh PSAC championship, along with coaching the Golden Bear women to their first PSAC championship.
Coach Suresh also coached the men’s PSAC player of the year in Rushi Amin and the Women’s player of the year in Ridhima Borooah. To top it off, Coach Suresh was named the PSAC coach of the year in both sports. It was a successful year to say the least.
When asked about Borooah winning PSAC player of the year, Coach Suresh gave high praise to her leadership qualities, saying, “She motivated the team by example and was extremely self-motivated, and that rubbed off onto the rest of her teammates. She often reached out to her teammates, giving them tips and tactics that were very useful and instrumental to the team having such a successful season.”
Borooah, who holds a cumulative 3.95 GPA as a dual major in Accounting and Finance with a minor in Economics, was recently named the PSAC Team Women’s Scholar. Coach Suresh had nothing but praise for his star senior and believed that she “played a huge role in the team exceeding its expectations this season.”
Borooah finishes her illustrious carreer with 69 total wins with 33 in singles and 69 in doubles. The senior ended the season with an 11-4 record in singles and an 11-7 record in doubles.
When Coach Suresh was asked about his star men’s pupil, Rushi Amin, he accredited it to the junior’s work ethic, saying, “He has really pushed himself to get into better shape and ultimately uses his skill to gain a mental edge on his opponents.” Ramamurthi also noted that Amin “really improved on his mental toughness.”
Amin, a native of nearby Allentown, PA, has been very grateful for all the help and encouragement Ramamurthi has given him in his time as a Golden Bear.
“I am very thankful for everything that coach has given me, and I am very proud of the progress we’ve made as a team,” said Amin.
To add to his list of accomplishments, Amin was also named MVP of the PSAC championships, going 5-0 in conference play. The junior finished the season undefeated in doubles with an 8-0 record, along with a career high 15 wins in singles.
Under coach Suresh’s guidance, the Golden Bear men have amassed 11 of the last 13 PSAC championships. They have also won ten NCAA east region qualifiers, six of which were consecutive, spanning from 2002-2006. Ramamurthi has also coached 43 all-PSAC selections. The India native has been named PSAC coach of the year four times and was named Division II East Region Coach of the Year in 2002.
With the men’s complete dominance over the last decade and the recent resurgence of the women’s program, Kutztown Tennis is surely the sport to watch.
By Stephen Maugeri