Seay Tennis Center

 rechtr@hpisd.org

Originally from Fort Wayne, IN, Ryan began playing competitive tennis at the age of 12.  As a high school player, he was named the News Sentinel Prep Sports Player of the Year three years in a row. He has won 10 consecutive Fort Wayne City Singles Championships (record) becoming the youngest male to do so.

A nationally ranked junior player in singles and doubles, (top ten in B18s doubles) Ryan graduated from Indiana University in 2005 where he was a four year starter for the Hoosiers. Among his many distinctions at IU, Ryan was named the Big Ten Athlete of the week, received the IU Sportsmanship Award, and was nationally ranked in singles and doubles. Ryan was a captain for the Hoosiers, earned Academic All Big Ten honors, as well as winning the Scholastic Achievement Award for highest team GPA. Ryan holds a degree in Business Management.

Following his college career, Ryan traveled the world playing on the ITF and ATP tour where he achieved a world ranking in singles and doubles.  Ryan started teaching tennis (as a USPTA certified Elite Pro) at Wildwood Racquet Club in Fort Wayne. He served as the head coach for the Northern Indiana Jr. Davis Cup before making the move to Dallas in 2011.  Certified coaching for all levels and providing invaluable fitness development are just some key aspects of Ryan’s tenure thus far at Seay.

  Deborah Barnes – Administrative - Membership and Leagues  BarnesD@hpisd.org

 Petar Danolic - Director of Tournament Training  DanoliP@hpisd.org

Coach Danolic received his Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise and Sports Science from Texas Tech where he was the #1 ranked men’s tennis player.  He gained coaching experience at IMG/Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy and then moved on to be the assistant women’s coach at the University of Arizona.  His European experience includes being the national coach for Boys 18’s in Bosnia and Herzegovina, President of the Coaches Board for Tennis Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Tennis Europe development coach. On the collegiate level, Petar has coached at Texas Tech, University of Miami, and Lynn University.  He is owner of Danolic Tennis LLC and joined the Seay Center in 2019.  

 Blake Edwards – Staff Pro  EdwardB@hpisd.org

Coach Edwards delivers a tennis experience on the court that is sure to deliver the desired results.  

Blake spent six years at T Bar M Racquet Club located in Dallas, Texas teaching all age levels and tennis abilities.

Blake has coached at the Seay Tennis Center since 2015.

  Joao Fazendeiro – Staff Pro   PereirJ@hpisd.org  

From Leiria, Portugal, Joao started playing tennis when he was 8 years old, and later represented his country in the U14 category. He played collegiate tennis at Cameron University where he earned his degree in sport and exercise science. While playing college tennis, he was runner-up in the ITA South Central Regional singles bracket, helped the team win four NCAA South Central Region titles, and led the 2015 squad to an Elite Eight appearance, the deepest run in the program's NCAA postseason history.  Joao joined the Seay Tennis Center in 2020.

Robert Harvin – Staff  HarvinR@hpsid.org

Rob Hogan – MIS/HPMS Coach/Staff Pro  HoganR@hpisd.org

 Jonathan Renwick – Staff Pro  RenwicJ@hpisd.org
Jonathan Renwick grew up in the DFW area in a tennis family and competed in age divisions since he was 10 years old. Jonathan graduated from the highly regarded Tennis Tech program in Tyler and has enjoyed teaching and competing since returning to DFW. His goal is to make tennis enjoyable while challenging his students to keep getting better.  Jonathan holds an Associates Degree in Professional Tennis Management from Tyler Junior College.  Prior to coming to Seay, he was Junior Development Assistant Pro at Northwood Country Club, Spring Park Tennis Center, and Southlake Tennis Center where he also ran adult drills.

Dixie Mabe – Staff Pro  MabeD@hpisd.org

Ron Mercado –Staff Pro  MercadR@hpisd.org

Derek Romer –Staff Pro  RomerD@hpisd.org 

Derek is a USPTA professional from Kendallville, Indiana. Before coming to Seay, Derek played Division I tennis at IPFW (Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne). At IPFW, he helped them finish as Summit League Tournament Runner-Up to a nationally ranked Denver team in 2014 and 2015. Derek has also coached/instructed for 10 years during which he had juniors who have gone on to become Top 100 in the nation, has had multiple students play in the Orange Bowl, and others who play at the collegiate level.  Derek was the Assistant Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach at Indiana Institute of Technology (Indiana Tech). During his time at Indiana Tech, each team achieved their most wins in a single season and had the highest finish of conference standing in program history. He coached the men’s team to a ranking of #24 in the nation and the women’s team to the most RV’s just outside the top 25 for the first time in history.  He has also coached a total of 18 athletes who were named All-Academic Scholar Athletes. 

 Megan Russell – Staff Pro  RussellM@hpisd.org

Megan is a Registered & Licensed Dietitian with a strong passion for sport performance and

nutrition. During her time as a Division I athlete at the University of Tennessee and Southern Methodist University, she learned first-hand the importance of proper nutrition for performance as well as overall health. After receiving her Bachelor’s in Chemistry from SMU, Megan decided to combine her love of fitness with wellness by completing her Master’s in Exercise Physiology and Sports Nutrition at the University of Texas in Austin. She then went on to earn a Bachelor’s in Clinical Nutrition from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School as well as her license as a registered dietitian. After graduation, she worked as an academy coach and dietitian as well as the Director of Fitness for the Junior Academy at T Bar M Racquet Club from 2009-2013. She then spent 4 years with Life Time Fitness working as the Director of Nutrition. Prior to joining the Highland Park Tennis Academy staff in 2018, Megan worked at the Lakes Tennis Academy as an academy coach and also directed fitness and nutrition for the High Performance program.

 Ben Simon – Staff Pro  SimonB@hpisd.org

Ben Simon has been involved in high performance tennis coaching for almost 30 years. He

formed BSTA back in 2002 and was the co-owner of Strive Tennis Academy in Atlanta, Georgia.

Both academies were recognized by the USTA for producing top nationally ranked and ITF players.

Ben’s undergraduate degree is in health exercise and sports science with a concentration

in anatomy and physiology. He was a junior college All-American and was part of a two-time national championship team at Lander University.  Ben also has a Master’s in Health Exercise and Sports Science from the Citadel.

In addition, he has been USPTA P-1 certified for over 20 years and is

USTA high performance certified. Ben was named 2004 USPTA pro of the year. He joined the coaching team at Seay in 2019.

 Johnny Tallent – Director of Lower School Programming  TallenJ@hpisd.org

Johnny Tallent has been at the Seay Tennis Center since 2002.  He began playing tennis competitively at age 9 in Gladewater, Texas.   He finished up his senior year ranked #1 in Texas in the 18's singles and won the High School State Singles Championship.  He then went on to Abilene Christian University on a scholarship where he received his degree in accounting and minored in biblical studies.  At ACU, he was the team captain, M.V.P. and an NCAA All-American - as well as an Academic All-American.  After playing some professionally, he became the men's tennis head coach at The University of North Texas followed by some time at Brookhaven Country Club where he was both an accountant and a teaching pro.   He was named USPTA Texas Pro of the year in 2001, and after coming to Seay Tennis Center, was named the 2003/04 USTA Developmental Coach of the Year.