< PreviousKENTUCKY BASKETBALL 70 @KentuckyMBB A fter reaching the Elite Eight for a sec- ond-straight season in 2023, Kentucky men’s tennis carries significant momentum into its 2024 campaign, set to begin on Jan. 15 with a doubleheader at the Boone Tennis Center featuring matchups with both North- ern Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky. The Wildcats have enjoyed a historic run over the past two seasons, totaling a 53-13 record overall, highlighted by reaching the program’s first NCAA Tournament Final in 2022, followed by the team’s second ever SEC Tournament Title in 2023. This year, Kentucky comes in at No. 11 in the ITA Preseason Poll, the third-highest rank- ing among seven SEC teams in the top-25. The ranking marks the fifth-consecutive sea- son in which head coach Cedric Kauffman’s squad has appeared in the preseason top-25. The Wildcats return three All-SEC honorees from last year’s roster with First-Team selec- tion, Joshua Lapadat, Second-Team awardee, Taha Baadi and All-Freshman Team mem- ber, Jaden Weekes all back for the Cats. This group will look to help fill the void left by the departures of All-Americans Liam Draxl and Alafia Ayeni. The returning veterans are joined by a three-member freshman class: Jack Loutit, Matt Rankin and Eli Stephenson, all of whom figure to be contributors during their first year on campus. Lapadat is likely to occupy the top singles court for Kentucky, where the 2023 SEC Tour- nament MVP will seek to bring his winning ways to the No. 1 position. The senior owns a 64-12 dual match singles’ record during his three years in Lexington, good for an impres- sive 0.842 winning percentage that has helped him to All-SEC accolades the past two seasons. Baadi, set to enter his second year at Ken- tucky after three seasons at Wake Forest, fig- ures to be another important piece at the top of the Kentucky lineup. A native of Montreal, Baadi posted a 19-8 singles record last year while leading the team with eight clinches, including two during the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky will hope for a step forward from sophomores Weekes and Charlelie Cos- net after each played in over 20 matches as freshmen last year. Weekes, notably, was the clincher in the SEC Tournament Title match vs. Georgia, coming from behind to defeat Miguel Perez Pena in three sets, earning him a spot on the SEC All-Tournament Team. UK’s 2024 schedule includes ITA Kickoff Weekend at the Boone Tennis Center, Jan. 26-27, when the Wildcats will welcome Ala- bama, Nebraska and Notre Dame with a spot at the ITA Division I National Men’s Team In- door Championships on the line. Kentucky’s February slate includes a quartet of non-con- ference matches against 2023 NCAA Tour- nament teams, including a home rematch against two-time defending National Cham- pion, and preseason ITA No. 1, Virginia, on Feb. 4. UK will also battle Louisville (Feb. 2), Harvard (Feb. 9) and Duke (Feb. 11) as a part of this demanding two-week stretch which features three matchups against teams inside the ITA Preseason top-10. A 12-match SEC schedule begins with a visit to Vanderbilt on March 1 for the con- ference-opener against the Commodores. League action concludes with what figures to be a decisive final weekend as the Wild- cats host both defending SEC Regular Season Champion, Georgia (April 12) and Tennessee (April 14) during the stretch run. Kentucky will then hope to defend its crown at the 2024 SEC Tournament, which will be held at LSU, April 17-21. Fans are encouraged to come out and cheer on the Cats all season long. All home matches during the regular season will be played on campus at the Boone Tennis Cen- ter with free admission for the public. Men’s Tennis Carrying Momentum into the 2024 Campaign By Greg Welsh UK Athletics Communications and Public Relationskentuckylegend.com For the finest, most flavorful meats, crafted and smoked with a patience unique to life in the South, there’s only one Kentucky original.KENTUCKY BASKETBALL 72 @KentuckyMBB D r. Eli Capilouto became the 12th Pres- ident of the University of Kentucky on July 1, 2011. Under his leadership, the Commonwealth’s flagship and land grant research university has grown from $2.7 bil- lion to more than $6.8 billion in total opera- tions and has gained significant momentum in advancing Kentucky – the institution’s sin- gular yet multifaceted mission. President Capilouto has led a more than $4 billion transformation of the campus, aimed at enriching the living-learning ex- perience of UK’s students, ensuring their success; strengthening the university’s re- search infrastructure dedicated to solving Kentucky’s most intractable health and economic challenges; and expanding UK HealthCare’s capacity to teach, heal and serve. Through partnerships with the private sector, increased philanthropy and effective financial management, UK is self-financing much of this aggressive infrastructure devel- opment with the purpose of equipping the next generation of leaders who will impact our world for the better. Under his leadership, the priorities out- lined in the strategic plan and the innova- tion of the campus has resulted in historic student success; improved care of our peo- ple; unrivaled ingenuity; greater trust, trans- parency and accountability; and a more inclusive community. The progress on cam- pus is resulting in a high-quality workforce, greater diversity and improved well-being for the Commonwealth UK has served for nearly 160 years — all essential to advanc- ing Kentucky. A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. Capilouto previously served as provost of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and dean of the UAB School of Pub- lic Health – a period of remarkable growth and transformation at one of the leading academic and health sciences institutions in the South. Dr. Capilouto holds several undergraduate and graduate degrees from schools within the University of Alabama system, a Doctorate of Dental Medicine from UAB and a Doctorate in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University. He and his wife, Dr. Mary Lynne Capilouto (D.M.D.) a former Dean of the UAB School of Dentistry, have one daughter. Eli Capilouto n President of the University of Kentuckyuky.edu | An Equal Opportunity University A WILDLY POWERFUL COMMUNITY Our people … the faculty and staff of the Univer- sity of Kentucky … they are what make this place special. It’s their capacity and commitment to come together for Kentucky. Together, they form a wildly powerful community. A community of thinkers and doers. A community committed to educating – and grad- uating – the best and brightest students. A Big Blue Nation committed to tackling today’s toughest battles. An end to the opioid crisis. It’s possible. Healthier lives for all Kentuckians. It’s possible. A brighter future for every Wildcat, our state and our world. It’s possible. Our boundless compassion and limitless resolve mean we never stop asking what’s possible. We never stop building it, either. Perhaps that’s why, for the sixth consecutive year, the University of Kentucky was named a Great College to Work For.KENTUCKY BASKETBALL N ow in his 22nd year as Director of Ath- letics at the University of Kentucky, Mitch Barnhart continues to expand his impact on national and regional levels, all while leading his Wildcats to consistent achievement in the arenas of competition, the classroom and in the community. Having the second-longest term of ser- vice among current ADs at schools in the Power 5 conferences, Barnhart’s experi- ence, knowledge and synthesis of athletic and academic success have made him a highly respected and sought-after presence across the scope of collegiate sports. Currently on the Selection Committee for the College Football Playoff, Barnhart has a long history of national service, highlight- ed by a five-year stint of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Committee that in- cluded a historic year as Chair of the first Covid-era event. He is one of only four peo- ple who have served on the football playoff committee and as chair of the men’s basket- ball tournament. Dedicated to the advancement of those whom he guides, Barnhart’s national influ- ence has grown through his “AD tree” – sev- en administrators and coaches who have worked for him and become Division I ath- letics directors. At Kentucky, the Wildcat athletic pro- gram has placed in the top 20 of the NACDA Directors’ Cup national all-sports standings for the last six years, one of only 10 schools that have earned that distinction. The best nine finishes in school history have been under Barnhart, all of which have come in the last 10 years. UK Athletics hit a peak in the Directors’ Cup in the 2021-22 school year, ascending to a school-record ninth place among the 363 Division I schools. Barnhart’s legacy at Kentucky includes success in a wide array of sports. All count- ed, UK has earned six NCAA champion- ship rings during Barnhart's term, includ- ing men's basketball in 2012, volleyball in ’20 and rifle in 2011, ’18, ’21 and ‘22. UK also has totaled 54 regular-season and tournament conference championships un- der his leadership, including first-time titles in baseball, women’s tennis, men’s golf and women’s swimming and diving. Over the last three years alone, five Wildcats have been named National Athlete of the Year in their sport. In addition, Asia Seidt of swimming and diving was chosen for the highly prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award, covering all female ath- letes in all divisions, for her combination of athletic success, academic excellence and dedication to community service. Numerous additional Wildcats have won national awards for their performances on the field, in the classroom and in the community. On the conference level, during Barn- hart’s term, Wildcats have been named the SEC Male and Female Athlete of the Year, the SEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and the SEC Male and Female Community Service Leader of the Year. A school-record total of 20 Wildcat ath- letes and coaches participated in the Tokyo Olympics, bringing home a school-record 10 medals, including seven gold. The competitive success has been fol- lowed by personal recognition. In 2022, he was inducted into the (state of) Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and he received the John L. Toner Award for excellence in ath- letics administration from the National Foot- ball Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Those honors added to a growing list of accolades for Barnhart, who was selected the 2019 AD of the Year by the Sports Busi- ness Journal. The accomplishments are a result of Barnhart’s work since his arrival in the sum- mer of 2002. He has steadily invested in the growth of all UK teams while maintaining a singular commitment to the holistic devel- opment of Wildcat student-athletes. At the heart of everything are the core values Barnhart has instilled in the depart- ment he leads: character, integrity, knowl- edge, stewardship and competitiveness. A department-wide 3.0 grade-point av- erage among student-athletes and increased community service have been long-standing goals for Barnhart. The GPA benchmark was first met in the spring semester of 2010 and has now reached a streak of 22 consecutive semesters. In spring 2020, UK achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.534, the best in school history. UK athletes have set records for graduation rates. Community service has risen to more than 4,000 hours annually and includes out- reach to the Lexington area, the Common- wealth of Kentucky and as far away as Ethi- opia, the Dominican Republic and Panama. In 2021 and 2022, when natural disasters devastated western and eastern Kentucky, a pair of telethons sponsored by UK Athletics raised more than $8 million and numerous student-athletes and staff took part in oth- er fundraising projects, supply assistance, cleanup and the rebuilding process. In addition to the extraordinary achieve- ments of his work world, reaching new heights is also a theme of his personal life. An avid mountain climber, Barnhart has scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, the high- est mountain in Africa, along with two of the most challenging peaks in the United States, Mount Rainier in Washington and the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. Impactful in community service, Barnhart has taken part in mission trips and is on the national advi- sory board of K-Love Radio. Barnhart is a native of Kansas City, Kan- sas. He and his wife, Connie, have three children and six grandchildren. Mitch Barnhart n Director of Athletics | University of Kentucky 74 @KentuckyMBBNext >