MCC Tennis Coach Inducted Into HOF

From School Reports

The Meridian Community College tennis program has just added to its already impressive list of accomplishments for 2014.  At the NJCAA’s national women’s tennis banquet held at the national tennis tournament in May at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas, Coach Wanda McPhail, the men’s and women’s tennis coach at MCC, was selected to the prestigious NJCAA Women’s Tennis Coaches’ National Hall of Fame.  Coach John Peterson, retired TJC coach who won twenty-five national championships in his career, was on hand to present the award to Coach McPhail. 

Coach McPhail has just completed her fourteenth year as the coach of the men’s and women’s programs at Meridian.  In her fourteen-years at the helm of MCC tennis, both the men’s and women’s programs have had a great deal of success.  Both of these teams have been to their respective NJCAA National Tennis Tournaments for thirteen years consecutively.  The men advanced to the nationals by winning the Region XXIII Championships in 2002, 2004-2005, and 2007-2012.  The men’s teams were the Runner-up in 2003, 2006, and 2013-2014. 

McPhail’s women’s teams have won ten Region XXIII Championships (2003-2006, 2008-2013) in her fourteen-year career.  They were the runner up in 2002, 2007, and 2014. The women’s team was ranked no. 7 in the nation in 2003 as a Division II team; the 2013 DI team finished the ITA rankings in 8^th place.  This year’s team finished in fourteenth place.  The men have found themselves ranked in the top fifteen often; this year’s team finished in the top 20.  Seven MCC tennis players have received the prestigious USTA/ITA Arthur Ashe National Sportsmanship Award-Blake Sherman, Andres Cepede, Kelly Sterling, Tara-Beth Hall, Simon Bardell, Elliott Clark, and Mallory Davis.  The program has had seven ITA All-Americans in singles. 

Coach McPhail was named the Wilson ITA Women’s National Coach of the Year in 2012.  In 2007, she was awarded the Herschel Stephens Award at the men’s national tournament.  This award is voted on by fellow coaches and is given to a coach whose teams have made five appearances at the national tournament and is given for service to the association. 

Coach McPhail was selected the Tennis “Coach of the Year” by the MAC in 2003, 2006, 2007, and 2008.  McPhail , who played basketball and tennis at ECCC, was inducted into the ECCC Hall of Fame in 1971 after completion of her sophomore year and the ECCC Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.  In the spring of 2012, McPhail was inducted into the Mississippi Junior College Sports Hall of Fame.  She has been an officer in the NJCAA Women’s Tennis Coaches’ Association for nine years; she has served as its president for five years.  She will serve out her term as president in 2015.  She also serves on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Board of Directors as the men’s representative.  She was recently reelected to another two-year term.  As a board member, she serves on the Executive and Budget Committee, Associate Chair of Small College Operating Committee, and as the Men’s JUCO Divisional Chair.  She has served on the ITA ranking committee as well as the awards committee.  Coach McPhail is involved locally by serving as a volunteer on the MTA Junior Committee.  She has USPTR associate instructor certification.

Coach McPhail came to MCC from West Lauderdale High School where she coached women’s basketball, tennis, volleyball, and cheerleaders.  She started the tennis program at WL; her teams advanced to the state playoffs from 1993-1999.  Before coaching at WL, Coach McPhail coached at Kate Griffin Junior High School in Meridian from 1973-1978 before taking a fourteen-year sabbatical to stay at home with her three children. 

A Summa Cum Laude graduate of MSCW, Coach McPhail balanced athletics and academics.  She graduated no. 6 in her class from the “W”, and played volleyball and competitive badminton.  She obtained her Master’s in Education from Mississippi State University in 1978. 

Outside of tennis, Coach McPhail has taught English and wellness classes, has been involved in numerous community service organizations, and has served on several committees at MCC.  She is a member of Collinsville United Methodist Church where she teaches the adult Sunday school class and is the lay leader and speaker.  She is married to Mark D. McPhail, former CEO of Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. They have three married children:  David McPhail and wife, Jenny Abdo McPhail, Haley McPhail Davis and Patrick Davis, and Morgan McPhail Vitart and Matthew Vitart.  They, also, have seven grandchildren:  Logan and Kate McPhail; Grayson and Finley Davis, and Ella-Katherine, Anne-Hartley, and Mark Toxey Vitart.