Billy Porter

Billy Porter is the head men's and women's tennis coach at Southwestern University.

Billy Porter is in his ninth season as the head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis teams at Southwestern University, serving since Sept. 20, 2013. In each of his first eight years, both programs have shown steady improvement, climbing from regionally ranked to nationally ranked and finishing the 2020-21 season with the first NCAA Tournament bids for both programs, and the first SCAC Championship for the women's program.

The women's team advanced to the Elite 8 in its first NCAA Tournament appearance. The men's team made the Sweet 16 in its first NCAA Tournament appearance.

During Porter's tenure, he has recruited and developed 11 nationally-ranked players with a combined 11 singles and three doubles teams appearances on the ITA national rankings.

In singles, Mary Cardone, Kate Daugherty, and Nina Mitrofanova were all nationally ranked from the women’s program, with Cardone receiving a national ranking all four of her years at Southwestern. Niko Snovely, Alexis Dimanche, and Hunter Bajoit each received national rankings in singles from the men’s program, with Dimanche earning a ranking in each of his four years at Southwestern.

In doubles, Bajoit and Hemanshu Rambojun were nationally-ranked in 2020, joining Snovely and Grant Gideon from the men’s program. Daugherty and Esther Bowers were ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation for doubles from the women's program.

The women’s team has climbed the national rankings in each of the past few seasons, remaining in the Top 25 in each of the last four years and finishing at a program-best No. 20 in 2020. It marked the first time the Pirates completed a season as the highest nationally-ranked team in the SCAC.

Mitrofanova’s ITA Regional Singles Championship victory as a first-year at Southwestern in 2019 made her the fifth women’s player in the past three years to earn All-American status. She joins Cardone, Bowers, and Daugherty, who were All-American in singles and doubles competition.

The men’s team has finished in the ITA Top 40 National Rankings in each of the past five seasons, breaking through the Top 25 in 2020 with its highest national ranking in program history at No. 23. Dimanche, the first men’s All-American in program history, also broke the program’s record for career wins with 129, surpassing Snovely’s 123 in 2017. Dimanche is one of three Pirates from the men’s teams to be an NCAA Qualifier, along with the doubles tandem of Snovely and Gideon in 2017. Dimanche also won the Regional Arthur Ashe Award, joining Gideon as the only two in program history to claim the award. Dimanche also claimed the 2020 ITA National Arthur Ashe Award, becoming the first Pirate to win on the national level.

During Porter’s coaching career at Southwestern, he has coached 41 All-SCAC selections, eight NCAA qualifiers, six All-Americans, three Champions at The Ojai, and three SCAC Player of the Year winners. His teams have also consistently earned ITA All-Academic awards outside of their athletic accomplishments. Porter has won Regional Coach of the Year (West) in 2017 and 2018 and SCAC Coach of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2021.

In his time at Southwestern, Porter has served on several national and regional committees, recently being reelected to the ITA Division III Women’s Operating Committee for a term that runs until 2023.

His history serving on NCAA and ITA Committees includes:

NCAA/ITA West Region Ranking Committee (2015-2017) (Men)

ITA West Region Ranking Committee (2017-2019) (Women)

ITA Division III Operating Committee (2017-2020) (Men and Women)

ITA National Awards Committee (2016-present) (Men) (West Region Chair)

NCAA National Ranking Committee (2019-present) (Men) (West Region Chair)