The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women's Tennis' Peyton Stearns elects to turn professional
06.03.2022 | Women's Tennis
Three-time All-American led the Longhorns to back-to-back NCAA team titles and became the first player in program history to win the NCAA Singles crown.
AUSTIN, Texas — University of Texas sophomore Peyton Stearns has elected to turn professional, she announced Friday. A three-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American (Singles in 2021 and 2022, Doubles in 2022), Stearns recently led the Longhorns to their second-straight NCAA team championship and became the first player in program history to claim the NCAA Singles title.
On Thursday, Stearns was named the 2022 ITA National Player of the Year. The honor is given annually to the Men's and Women's players who end the season at No. 1 in the final National Singles rankings. Stearns also has been selected as one of four finalists for the Class of 2022 Honda Sport Award for Tennis.
"First, I need to thank everyone at The University of Texas who I had the opportunity to be with during my time there," Stearns said. "No words can describe how much the team and staff have impacted my life for the better. During the two years I spent at Texas, I found and established a second family. The team and staff helped me not only become a better tennis player, but more importantly a better person off the court. I am so thankful for all the help and efforts put into my career goals while at Texas. I'm so happy that I decided to come to college, and even happier that I attended The University of Texas."
After leading Texas to its second-straight NCAA team title this year, she became the first player in program history to win the NCAA Singles championship. She concluded the season with a 33-2 overall record in singles play. Stearns paired with partner Allura Zamarripa on the doubles court and earned ITA Doubles All-America honors this season. The duo advanced to the NCAA Doubles quarterfinals and was No. 10 in the final ITA National Doubles rankings. Stearns was also tabbed the 2022 Big 12 Player of the Year, the Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player and the Big 12 Individual Champion at No. 1 Singles.
"It's truly hard to believe that Peyton's accomplishments on the Forty Acres have considerably outweighed the hype associated with her recruitment," said Texas head coach Howard Joffe. "Peyton will pause her education in the service of a pro career after her sophomore year, having been crowned National Singles Champion along with leading her team to back-to-back National Championships."
"Her impact is unparalleled in the annals of Texas Women's Tennis history," Joffe continued. "Peyton has done all this with the class and poise that you might expect from a Longhorn student-athlete. She is a superb student on and off the court, a leader as an underclassman and a young person of class and integrity. Anyone with a pulse will be rooting for Peyton Stearns to rise to the top in her pro career."
As a freshman in 2020-21, Stearns earned ITA Singles All-America honors. She completed the season with an 18-8 singles mark, including a 13-4 mark in dual-match play at the No. 1 singles spot, and was tabbed No. 13 in the final ITA National Singles rankings. While leading Texas to the 2021 NCAA team title, Stearns was named the Most Outstanding Player at the 2021 NCAA Women's Team Championship and the 2021 Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
During her two seasons at Texas, Stearns compiled a 51-10 overall record in singles and a 42-17 mark in doubles.
Players Mentioned
