Due to a family connection with the U.S. Naval Academy's most accomplished men's tennis player, University of Redlands' graduate student Taylor Hunt (Seattle, WA) joins the competitive field at the inaugural Joe Hunt Invitational as the grand-nephew of the event's namesake. Beginning his final year of eligibility due to a medical hardship, Taylor Hunt received the opportunity to represent both the Redlands' men's tennis team and his family's legacy by competing in the tournament on Friday, September 25, through Sunday, September 27, in Annapolis, MD.
Play begins Friday at 9 a.m. with two rounds of singles and one round of doubles. Taylor Hunt will team up with an individual from another college to compete in the doubles draw throughout the event.
He faces a tough bracket of competitors from various NCAA Division I programs, including, but not limited to, Georgetown University (DC), George Mason University (VA), Temple University (PA), and St. Bonaventure University (NY). He is joined by fellow Division III representatives from the University of Mary Washington (VA).
In addition, the Naval Academy will dedicate Joe Hunt Court in a ceremony on Sunday, which includes the hanging of a commemorative plaque on court No. 1 at the USNA Tennis Courts.
"On behalf of my family it is a great honor to be here. It's a great privilege to represent my great-uncle so that he is not forgotten and that all that he accomplished can be remembered for the ages."
Taylor's great-uncle, Joe Hunt, began his college career at the University of Southern California and was a member of a dominant doubles duo that won the intercollegiate national title in 1938. He also won the National Clay Court title in doubles that same year and represented the U.S. during the 1939 Davis Cup.
After a year with the Trojans, Joe Hunt transferred to the USNA and competed in football as well as tennis, winning the national singles championship in 1941.
Following graduation, his tennis career continued at the professional level as highlighted by winning the USTA National Championship and becoming the No. 1 player in the country and fifth-ranked in the world.
Joe Hunt was posthumously inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1966. He lost his life in a training accident as a pilot in the Navy in 1945.
Results and additional information on the Joe Hunt Invitational will be available on the USNA web site.