Federico Sabogal Joins Women's Tennis Staff
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky women’s tennis head coach Carlos Dradá announced the addition of a new Assistant Coach to his staff, with Federico Sabogal joining the Wildcats for the 2016-17 season. Sabogal previously served as an Assistant Academy Director at Armonk International Tennis Academy in New York.
“I am excited to announce the hiring of Federico Sabogal,” exclaimed Dradá. “Federico is a young and talented coach whose competitive experience will allow him to closely relate to our students and effectively guide them during pressure-filled situations. Federico will be a positive influence for our athletes and will be a relentless recruiter. We share the belief that anything is possible at Kentucky, and we are looking forward to taking the program to an elite level of performance on the tennis court.”
“I want to thank Carlos Dradá and the rest of the search committee for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the UK family,” commented Sabogal. “This institution competes in the hardest conference in the nation and has one of the best athletic departments out there. I am excited to start working with Carlos and the entire staff here at Kentucky to not only provide our student-athletes with the best collegiate experience, but most importantly to raise a team that competes for SEC and national championship every year. I am certain that we have all the resources to make Kentucky women’s tennis a powerhouse.”
While at Armonk, Sabogal oversaw the development of high performance players between the ages of 14 and 17. Among his standout athletes were Ava Gione, who was ranked No. 3 in the state and No. 15 nationally, and Josh Nelson, who is the No. 16 13-year-old player in New York and No. 28 nationally. Sabogal had previously worked with Agustin Moreno, the top junior player in the world, and helped Moreno earn his first ATP point, along with Pedro Fernandez Del Valle, a former Mexican singles champion and High School All-American.
Sabogal got his coaching start at his alma mater, South Florida, as the Volunteer Assistant Women’s Tennis Coach. The Ibague, Colombia, native was the No. 1 junior player in Colombia and No. 5 in South America. Prior to his time as a Bull, he was a Junior Davis Cup semifinalist with Colombia’s national team, competed in the ATP World Tour, and had a ranking of No. 190 in the ITF World Junior rankings.
As a student-athlete at USF, Sabogal made an immediate impact and earned All-BIG EAST honors as a freshman. USF was ranked in the top-60 of the ITA rankings for two consecutive years and in the top-25 during his senior season, and Sabogal was in the top-40 in doubles during the 2012 campaign. During his senior season, Sabogal went 17-2 and ended his collegiate career at the NCAA Tournament.
Visit UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information on the Kentucky women’s tennis team and all 22 varsity sports. For additional info, notes, and behind-the-scenes updates, follow the team on Twitter at @UKWomensTennis and on Facebook.
