Hayley Carter Tabbed as Assistant Tennis Coach

STILLWATER –Oklahoma State's women's tennis team will bring on former North Carolina standout Hayley Carter as assistant coach, head coach Chris Young announced on Thursday.

"I am excited to welcome Hayley to the Cowgirl tennis family," Young said. "I have known Hayley for a while and I value the characteristics she will bring to our program which include her worth ethic, energy, and overall competitive spirit. Hayley will be a great mentor to our current players as well as future recruits. What she has accomplished as a player is remarkable, and she will be a valuable asset for any player who has the opportunity to work with her."

The most decorated player in North Carolina women's tennis history, Carter comes to Stillwater just months after wrapping up a wildly successful collegiate career in which she racked up an ACC record 168 singles victories to go along with four first-team All-ACC selections, two ACC Championship Most Valuable Player selections, and seven All-America honors—four in singles and three in doubles.

The two-time ACC Player of the Year is no stranger to team success at the collegiate level either, as she guided the Tar Heels to a four-year record of 123-14, four regular-season ACC titles, two ACC Tournament championships, three NCAA Tournament top-eight finishes, and the 2015 ITA Indoor national championship.

"I have known Chris for six years now and am so thankful to him for the amazing opportunity he has given me to begin my college coaching career here at Oklahoma State," Carter said. "The program has proven to be one of the best in college tennis, and I am looking forward to working alongside Chris to help the girls continue to reach all of their goals. What stood out to me was not just the campus and overall academic and athletic support, but all of the people that immediately welcomed me like family. Stillwater already feels like home and I cannot wait to get started."

A Hilton Head, S.C., native, Carter wasted no time making waves on the college tennis landscape. As a freshman, she finished her first collegiate season at No. 3 in the final ITA individual rankings in both singles and doubles. That season, Carter posted a 50-7 overall singles record, along with a 34-6 mark in doubles with teammate Jamie Loeb. She earned her first two All-America honors, while becoming the first player in the program's history to be named ACC Freshman of the Year.

Her success continued as a sophomore in 2015, as she garnered her second singles All-America recognition while leading the Tar Heels to the NCAA semifinals and the ITA National Indoor Championship. Boasting a 19-4 dual singles record, Carter received a first-team All-ACC selection for the second time.

Carter advanced to the finals of the NCAA Singles Championships as a junior, while also reaching the doubles semifinals with teammate Whitney Kay. That season, she became first UNC player to ever hold No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles simultaneously, going 49-5 overall in singles and 37-7 in doubles. Carter was named the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year, to go along with another pair of All-America recognitions.

Finally in 2017, Carter amassed a 28-0 record at No. 1 singles in dual matches, going 13-0 in ACC play and 38-4 overall in singles. She finished the year ranked No. 3 in the nation, the third time in four seasons she was ranked among the top-three players in the country, paving the way for her fourth All-America recognition. She teamed up with Jessie Aney in doubles, winning a national championship in the fall at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships. The duo spent over eight weeks as the No. 1 ranked team in the country, finishing the season at No. 5. She was named the National Senior Player of the Year by the ITA as well.
Carter won the 2016 Oracle/ITA Masters mixed doubles title with Georgia Tech's Chris Eubanks, and led Team USA to the 2016 Master'U BNP Paribas championship in France.

The former Tar Heel picked up no shortage of awards for her efforts in the classroom either, as Carter was a first-team Academic All-America and ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2016 and 2017 and earned induction into Phi Beta Kappa. Carter was also the only women's tennis player to be named the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, ACC Player of the Year and ACC Tournament MVP in consecutive seasons.

Carter has racked up experience coaching, serving three summers as a lead coach at the North Carolina Tennis Camp where she worked with players ranging from age 8 to 18.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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