Red Wolves - IU East

Erskine Ratchford, a nationally ranked tennis player who resides in Richmond, was named men's and women's tennis head coach at Indiana University East on Aug. 1, 2011.

"I am excited about the upcoming tennis season and feel that we have a great group of men and women players who look to be competitive this year. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to work with and lead these men and women in the upcoming matches," Ratchford said. "I will do my best to properly represent, instruct, direct and develop a winning program that is reflective of the successful traditions of the other sports programs at IU East."

Ratchford has ranked in the top 100 in the nation and the top 10 in the Midwest in his age group.

He served as a volunteer coach for IU East during the 2010-11 season.

"The only thing that could make this news better is if we could also let Erskine play in our lineup, because he is that good of a player" said IU East assistant athletic director Kyle Wright.

"He developed a strong rapport with our players last season and is the perfect person to push our teams to a level of contending for conference championships and national tournament appearances on a regular basis."

Ratchford is a North Carolina State University alumni. He previously was Director of Engineering for Marvel Industries in Richmond.

"IU East and east central Indiana can be a hotbed for tennis because of its location between several strong tennis communities," Ratchford said, noting IU East's proximity to cities like Dayton, Indianapolis and Cincinnati.

"Players who come to IU East have a great opportunity to take advantage of the resources that are available to tennis players in this area."