Hall of Fame
Adam Van Zee led Earlham men’s tennis from 2009 to 2013, taking the program to unprecedented levels of success.
Under Van Zee’s guidance, Earlham captured three straight Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships from 2011 to 2013.
In 2010-11, the Quakers’ first season in the HCAC, Van Zee led Earlham to a 17-4 overall record, 7-1 in the HCAC, and was recognized as the league’s Coach of the Year. Six Earlham tennis players were tabbed for inclusion on the All-HCAC or Honorable Mention squads, and the Quakers advanced to face Luther College in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championship.
That success was duplicated in 2011-12 when Earlham posted a 19-2 overall record, including a 9-0 march through the conference schedule. Van Zee received Coach of the Year honors for the second straight year, and newcomer Anton Bartashevich was named the conference’s Freshman of the Year. Six members of the squad earned HCAC post-season honors, including four All-HCAC selections. The Quakers faced Baldwin-Wallace in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championship, narrowly falling to the Yellow Jackets in nine matches.
The Quakers made it three-in-a-row in 2012-13, when Earlham posted a 19-3 overall mark and again went 9-0 in conference play. Under Van Zee’s guidance, Bartashevich earned HCAC Player of the Year honors and was one of five Earlham men’s tennis players to gain a spot on the All-HCAC squad. Van Zee received a third consecutive HCAC Coach of the Year award, and the Quakers went on to face Coe College in the second round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championship after receiving a first-round bye.
Van Zee began the 2013-14 season with the Quakers before stepping down to accept a development position at Wabash College. Earlham men’s tennis finished that campaign with six more All-HCAC awards as well as another MVP laurel for Bartashevich, while Phil Locklear was named the HCAC Freshman of the Year.
During Van Zee’s first two seasons at Earlham, the Quakers competed in the North Coast Athletic Conference where the signs of the program’s future success became visible. Earlham improved from a 4-10 record in Van Zee’s first season to an 8-10 mark in 2009-10, with Brad Maisey earning NCAC Newcomer of the Year honors.
Over his five years at the helm of Earlham men’s tennis, Van Zee posted a 67-29 overall record and a 25-9 ledger in conference matches. He is one of eight Earlham coaches to earn HCAC Coach of the Year honors and the only one to earn the award on multiple occasions.
A 2007 graduate of Wabash College, Van Zee worked with the Earlham women’s tennis program while attending graduate school at Ball State University. He currently serves as a major gifts officer for the IUPUI School of Health & Human Sciences.
