Marceil Whitney, the boys’ and girls’ tennis coach at Redmond High School for the past 15 years, was recently announced as one of nine national finalists for the 2011 United States Tennis Association (USTA) Starfish Award, which honors exceptional high school coaches who implement a “no-cut” policy on their team.

With more than 2,850 coaches nationwide under this initiative, the coaches of these teams serve as positive role models by spending the extra time and effort to ensure that every player experiences the fun of representing their high school team.

Whitney, who has coached tennis in some capacity for over four decades, started a booster club at the high school that awards two deserving seniors scholarships for college. Marceil also founded a community tennis association, Tennis Outreach Programs, which provides tennis for at risk and disadvantaged youth.

“The USTA is proud to name Marceil Whitney as a finalist for the Starfish Award, who has enriched the lives of her players through her No-Cut tennis program,” said Barry Ford of the USTA. “Ensuring that her players are given an opportunity to be a part of a team is a sign of Marceil’s devotion as a No-Cut coach. As a result, she has been selected as one of the nine finalists chosen from a pool of thousands of coaches.”

The USTA will recognize the two national winners at the Community Tennis Development Workshop held in New Orleans, L.A. from January 13-15, 2012. The Starfish Award is in its seventh year of existence and has honored 12 winners since 2005.