Learn more about DeWitt Tennis Center
Tennis Professionals
Jorge Capestany
Club Manager, Hope PTM Director, USPTA Master Pro & PTR International Master Pro
Jorge is one of only ten people worldwide that is a Master Professional with the USPTA and an International Master Professional with the PTR. Jorge is a 6-time Michigan Pro of the Year a 2-time Midwest Pro of the Year. Jorge has coached hundreds of ranked juniors including 3 national champions. He is an internationally recognized speaker and author and was inducted into the USPTA Midwest Hall of Fame in 2012. Jorge has been named the Professional of the Year for both the USPTA and the PTR. He is Director of Hope’s PTM program.
Nate Price
Director of Tennis, USPTA & PTR Professional
Nate has been teaching in Holland and Grand Rapids for since 2002. He has often been ranked highly as a player, including a top 20 national (NAIA) collegiate ranking in both singles and doubles. Nate has also been ranked in the top 10 in the Midwest section in the Men’s Open division. Nate works with many juniors that have rankings as well as players that have gone on to play for nationally ranked collegiate teams.
Marti Capestany
Staff Professional, PTR & USPTA Professional
Marti has been a USPTA certified tennis professional since 1985 and a PTR certified professional over the past 10 years. Marti is a multiple winner of “Player of the Year” awards from the USTA and USPTA. She is also certified as a Mental Toughness specialist through the Human Performance Institute and a Certified Tennis Performance Trainer through the International Tennis Performance Association. Marti was inducted into the Coldwater (MI) HS Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.
Jay Vander Laan
Head Professional, PTR & USPTA Professional
Jay has been teaching since 2011. He played HS tennis at Forest Hills Northern and attended Central Michigan University. Jay has held numerous Head Tennis Professional positions and is the former Head Pro at the Ritz Carleton on Grand Cayman Island. Jay holds Professional Certifications in Adult and Junior Development with the PTR.
Adam Ford
Hope College PTM Director, Staff Professional, PTR & USPTA Professional
Adam is the co-Director of the Hope College Professional Tennis Management (PTM) program. He has served as the men’s and women’s varsity tennis coach at Hope as well as being the head professional at the DeWitt Tennis Center. Adam is a USTA high-performance certified coach and has developed many nationally ranked players. He was a two-time state champion at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central High School. He played tennis for four years at Division I Northern Illinois University. Often recognized by his peers, Adam is in a unique position to lead the College’s PTM program.
Austin Hunt
Head Coach Hope Men’s & Women’s Tennis, Staff Professional, PTR & USPTA Professional
Austin is a native of Odessa, Texas, he comes to Hope after coaching one season at GVSU. Austin played his collegiate tennis at Cornerstone and concluded his tennis career ranked fifth all-time with 94 career combined singles and doubles wins. His 46 singles wins while playing in the top half of the lineup are the fourth-most in team history as are his 48 doubles wins.
Austin Hunt holds a master’s degree in Sport Management from the University of Michigan (2017) and a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Cornerstone University (2016).
Chris Wilton
Staff Professional, Tournament Director, USPTA Professional
Chris Wilton has been a tennis professional since 1990. He has won the USPTA Michigan Pro of the Year 2 times and been honored as the Distinguished Service Award winner for Western Michigan. Chris was the Director of Tennis at Norton Pines taking that club from a 4 court facility to a 9 court facility and winning Organization of the Year 2 times. Currently, he is the Executive Director of the WMTA.
Matt Bradley
Staff Professional, PTR Professional
Matt has been a certified tennis professional since 1999. He has been a pro at the DeWitt Tennis Center since 2003. Matt played tennis for Hope College for four years where he earned First Team All-MIAA honors. In Matt’s senior year he was named the Dr. Allen Stowe Sportsmanship Award winner. Matt runs many of our clubs 10 & Under programs.
Mark Hunt
Staff Professional
Mark is a PTR certified teaching professional with over 25 years of coaching experience. He has coached multiple State, Regional, and Conference champions in Texas. Mark was honored with the 2018 Texas State High School Coach of the Year award as well as the 2020 4A Conference Coach of the Year award. Mark also serves as an Assistant Tennis coach at Hope College with his son Austin.
Desk Professionals
Carol Bassett
Desk Pro
Our History
The DeWitt Tennis Center of Hope College was made possible through the contributions of Gary and Joyce DeWitt and their children, Lisa DeWitt VanderKolk, Rita DeWitt Pieters, and Dirk DeWitt. The Tennis Center represents the DeWitt’s appreciation for students, education, tennis, and Hope College. Other donors to the Tennis Center are Mr. Alfred Joldersma, Mr. and Mrs. James Lugers, Beth Post, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ruch, and Mr. and Mrs. William Swaney.
The club was dedicated on October 14, 1994, and serves as the home of Hope College varsity tennis. In 2003, the college decided to offer a full array of tennis programs to the greater Holland tennis community. Jorge Capestany was hired to meet that goal. Since then, the club’s junior program has become internationally recognized, and the tennis pro staff has received many international awards. The strong desk staff comprises many employees who have been here since the club opened in 1994.
In 2010, the Tennis Center was named the national 2010 “Public Facility of the Year” by the Professional Tennis Registry” (PTR) see the article HERE. In 2012, the Tennis Center was named the Outstanding Organization of the Year by the Western Michigan District of the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
In 2012, the Etheridge Tennis Complex and the Heeringa/Vanderpoel Tennis Stadium were built and are also under the direction of Jorge Capestany. The 12-court outdoor tennis stadium is also the host site for the Hope College Tennis Academy, founded in 2004.
Our Facilities
The Indoor courts at the DeWitt Tennis Center are fully owned and operated by Hope College. The facility features 6 deco-turf courts, lobby area with TV, men’s and women’s locker rooms and offices for the staff. The Tennis Center is opened year round and is the home of the Hope College men’s and women’s varsity tennis programs.
The outdoor tennis stadium courts are fully owned and operated by Hope College. The award-winning facility features 12 post-tension concrete courts. An elevated viewing platform with stadium seating, a walkthrough tunnel under the viewing spine, shade structures, and a world-class audio system. The facility is widely recognized as one of the nation’s best and has won design awards that can be seen HERE.