IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's tennis head coach Elizabeth Ferris Smith has announced the hiring of Benjamin Cook as an assistant coach.

"Ben's sincerity, work ethic, passion for tennis, and desire to learn and create meaningful relationships stood out right away," remarked Ferris Smith. "I am excited to have him on board and look forward to working with him. I think he will hit the ground running!"

Cook most recently led the Caltech women's tennis team last year to the program's best No. 19 ranking in the nation for Division III. Prior to that, Ben was the assistant women's tennis coach at Fresno Pacific University, where he helped a young team finish 7th in the PacWest conference in the program's first year.

"I first and foremost want to thank head coach, Elizabeth Ferris Smith, and everyone at UCI, for giving me the opportunity to come and work as the assistant women's tennis coach. Tennis is a passion of mine and I am excited and blessed to be a part of an amazing tennis program and university. This is an amazing opportunity, and I look forward to working with and learning from Coach Ferris Smith and being able to help guide the team on and off the court." 

Ben started coaching during summers at University of Southern California (USC)'s Wilson Collegiate tennis camps as the lead coach and counselor and is now a Junior Director for the camps. Cook has also been involved in high school tennis, winning a total of seven CIF titles and nine league titles. Since 2014, Ben has been mentored by tour level and collegiate coaches.