Ken Alrutz is in his fifth year at Wesleyan in 2008-09.  He came to Wesleyan after three years as the head men's and women's tennis coach at Miami University (Ohio)-Hamilton.  Under Ken's tutelage, Wesleyan tennis was honored by the USTA New England as the Educational Association of the Year in 2007-08.

        Concluding his third year at Miami-Hamilton in 2004 while also acting as a tennis professional at the Riverside Racquet Club in Hamilton, Ohio since 1999, Ken was the head men's tennis coach at Miami University (Ohio) in Oxford, Ohio from 1996 to 1999.  He also is a nine-year veteran head tennis coach at Virginia Military Institute, handling that duty from 1987 through 1996.  In addition to his coaching assignments, Ken taught English at both VMI and Miami.  He received VMI's Distinguished Coaching Award in 1990 and its Distinguished Teaching Award in 1992.  Miami's Associated Student Government presented him with an Honored Professor Award each year from 2000 through 2004.  He also acted as academic advisor to VMI's scholarship athletes during the summer of his final four years there.

        During his 12-year Division I coaching tenure, Ken had a cumulative record of 167-92 with 12 straight winning campaigns.  He led Miami to the Mid-American conference title in 1997, was named Mid-American Conference coach of the year in 1999 and was the Southern Conference coach of the year in 1992.  Ken has coached Davis Cup players from Tunisia and the Bahamas as well as world-ranked junior players from various countries.  A certified member of the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), Ken was the USPTA Mid-Atlantic collegiate coach of the year in 1995 and the USPTA Midwest collegiate coach of the year in 1999.

        At Miami-Hamilton, Ken won Ohio Regional Campus Conference Championships in both men's and women's play in 2002 and 2004.

        A graduate of California State College in Pennsylvania, Ken did his graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania.

        Ken has been on the Prince advisory staff for more than 20 years, an experience highlighted each year by conducting adult and junior clinics with such international tennis stars as Albert Costa, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Guillermo Coria and Xavier Malisse.  The last four summers, Ken conducted the Total Tennis Camp at Wesleyan, a program geared for school-aged boys and girls.

       

       Beginning her second year as the full-time assistant coach of Wesleyan's tennis program in 2008-09, Rikki Alrutz, daughter of head coach Ken Alrutz, brings a wealth of playing and tennis-teaching experience to the Cardinals. She served as Wesleyan's volunteer assistant tennis coach for three years. She also is a USTA team coach. Rikki competed internationally on the professional tour. Among her most recent tournament victories are the BNP Constatine Cup, held at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills N.Y., and La Coupe de Marseille on the slow red terre battue of France. Not only is Rikki a proud member of the French Federation of Tennis, Professional Tennis Registry, the United States Professional Tennis Association, and a Cardio tennis instructor, she is certified in yoga and Pilates as well. During the Wesleyan teams' off-season, Rikki conducts numerous yoga and Pilates workshops throughout the United States and the world, including working with professional tennis players and college teams. She won the prestigious 2007 USPTA Seminar Contest for her presentation "Yoga and Pilates for Tennis." Her expertise in this area particularly qualifies her for designing and implementing the fitness programs for both the women's and men's squads at Wesleyan. A graduate of the Sorbonne, Rikki also holds a Language Certificate from the American University in Cairo, has studied at Harvard and Yale, and is working on her Ph.D. in the States. In addition to her tennis career, Rikki, who speaks seven languages, also works as a professional interpreter, traveling to such places as Egypt, United Arab Emmirates, Oman, Israel, Palestine, China, Japan, Ecuador, and France on a regular basis.