Mizzou lifts interim tag off tennis coach Chris Wootton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Mizzou lifted the interim tag off of tennis coach Chris Wootton on Tuesday afternoon. He's now officially the Tigers head coach.

Wootton led the Tigers to a 15-16 record this past season. Those 15 wins were the fifth-most in program history for a single season. Wootton's squad was ranked as high as No. 36 in the nation in early March.

“Chris Wootton did an excellent job of managing our women’s tennis program through many challenges during the 2020-21 academic year, the biggest of which was COVID-19, and his student-athletes came together to produce one of the winningest seasons in program history,” Athletic Director Jim Sterk said in a release. “We believe that this year’s success will be a springboard to even greater success under Chris’ leadership, and that Mizzou Tennis will continue to thrive in the classroom while continue to improve on the court in future seasons.”

Wootton came to Columbia as an assistant coach in 2019. He was tabbed as the interim head coach in April of 2020.

“This is an incredible honor that has been bestowed upon myself and my family,” Wootton said in a release. “I want to thank Jim Sterk and Andy Humes for trusting me this past year to be the leader of Mizzou Women’s Tennis. I am humbled and blessed to accept this prestigious coaching position in the SEC."