Professional Staff
Lisa Upchurch, USPTA
Originally from Greensburg, PA, a suburb outside of Pittsburgh, Lisa started playing tennis at age 8. After a successful junior career, Lisa was recruited to play tennis at UNC-Charlotte. After 4 years of scholarship tennis and playing #1 her senior year, she was hired as an assistant tennis professional at Raintree Country Club in Charlotte in 1997. While at Raintree, Lisa handled many facets of the program including junior and adult instruction, summer camp supervision, court maintenance, junior team formation and administration, running tennis socials and buyer/merchandiser for the tennis pro shop. She was promoted to Head Tennis Professional in 2003.
Awards & Certifications
- USPTA Certified Professional-Pro 2
- 2002-2004 NC USPTA Secretary/Treasurer
- 2003 NC-USTA Tennis Professional of the Year
- Participated in National 4.5 Team Championships in 2004 (3rd place)
Todd Upchurch, USPTA
Awards and Certifications
- USPTA Certified Professional- Pro 1
- 1996 Mid-State Conference 2A Women's Coach of the Year
- 1998 USPTA Southern Newsletter of the Year recipient
- 1999 NC USPTA Professional of the Year
- 2000-2002 NC USPTA State Chapter President
- 2002-2004 Secretary/Treasurer USPTA Southern Division Board
- 2004-2006 2nd Vice-President USPTA Southern Division Board
- Current 1st Vice-President USPTA Southern Division Board
- 2003 & 2008 Host Club of USPTA Southern Division Convention (over 200 professionals in attendance)
- 2008 USPTA Southern Division "Pride of the South" award winner
- NC and Southern USPTA convention speaker/presenter
Allen Gowin, USPTA
Allen's
first exposure to tennis came at the age of 8 on the city courts of Florence,
SC. As a top 10 junior player in South and North Carolina, he achieved rankings
as high as top 20 sectionally earning him the right to compete at national
competitions. He also participated in both Jr. Davis Cup and Zone Team Tennis
competition. Allen also played singles and doubles for three consecutive high
school state championship teams. While pursuing other career interests in
Boston, MA, he had a renewed interest in sharing his training and playing
experiences. He was a Sr. Staff Pro with Netresults Tennis in Brookline,
MA which included designing and implementing junior, adult, and camp
programming. Most of his junior and after school programming was designed
using the Quickstart methodology. This experience led him back to Charlotte
where he is excited to bring his upbeat, enthusiastic style stressing FUN as
well as improvement to Jeff Adams Tennis Center as the Head Tennis Professional at the 13 court public facility. He is
eager to bring programming that will cater to both children and adults of all
skill levels. Allen is a USPTA Certified Professional- Pro 1.
Aaron Mullennix, USPTA
Aaron grew up in Charlotte, NC and attended Myers Park High School. While at Myers Park, he played and competed on the tennis team that finished as runners-up in the 4A State Finals in 2000 & 2002. After high school, Aaron attended Montreat College in Montreat, NC where play #2 singles and #3 doubles as a scholarship athlete. Aaron and his partner made it to the conference finals in doubles in 2004.
After leaving Montreat, Aaron began teaching tennis at Foxcroft Hills in Charlotte. He has been the assistant tennis professional and tennis director at Cramer Mountain Country Club. He has also held the Head Tennis Professional position at Windyrush Swim & Racquet Club in Charlotte. Most recently, before joining Upchurch Tennis, Aaron was an assistant tennis professional at the Bald Head Island Club. He is a USPTA Certified Professional- Pro 3.
Aaron brings a youthful enthusiasm to the court and enjoys working with juniors and adults in developing their games to meet their goals. He enjoys teaching Cardio tennis, which is an upbeat workout combining music and tennis drills guaranteed to make you sweat.
Kristin Negret, USPTA
Kristin is a Shelby native who grew up playing tennis at one of Upchurch Tennis' current facilities, Jeff Adams Tennis Center. After a successful high school career, she received a tennis scholarship from Davidson College, where she played #1 singles and doubles for the Wildcats. Her ultimate goal was to play professional tennis, so she transferred to nationally ranked UNC-Chapel Hill and played #3 singles for the Tarheels. Her team finished #5 in the nation and she defeated several All-American players and defeated Duke in the Conference finals.
Kristin pursued a professional tennis career but after a successful start, injuries shorten her pro debut. Kristin started teaching in 2003 and has taught at some of Charlotte's most prestigious country clubs. She prides herself in having a unique ability to cater to the needs of each player. She currently teaches at Jeff Adams and Freedom Park.
Kristin pursued a professional tennis career but after a successful start, injuries shorten her pro debut. Kristin started teaching in 2003 and has taught at some of Charlotte's most prestigious country clubs. She prides herself in having a unique ability to cater to the needs of each player. She currently teaches at Jeff Adams and Freedom Park.
Parris Watt, USPTA
Parris joined Upchurch Tennis in October as the Head Tennis Professional at Freedom Park. Immediately before moving back to Charlotte, he was the Senior Staff Professional at the Houston Racquet Club in Houston, TX. He has worked with The Safe Passage Tennis Program in Carson, CA, which was started by Arthur Ashe. The tennis/academic program was geared towards disadvantaged children. He has also been a Senior Academy Coach with Zina Garrison Academy in Houston, TX and a Staff Professional at Charlotte Tennis Academy here in Charlotte. Parris grew up in Charlotte and is excited about coming back home to work to teach tennis at Freedom Park.
Together we will develop a plan of action that fits your individual, facility or competitive needs. Give us a call today and let's explore the synergies between Upchurch Tennis and you.
*USPTA (United States Professional Tennis Association) is the world's oldest and largest association of tennis-teaching professionals with more than 15,000 members worldwide.
