Arkansas’ Top Prospect Headed To The Hill

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The state of Arkansas’ No. 1 prep tennis player is staying home.

Arkansas women’s tennis head coach Michael Hegarty announced that Tatum Rice from Hot Springs, Arkansas, has signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to join the Razorbacks for the 2017-18 season.

A senior blue chip recruit at Lakeside High School, Rice is ranked as the state’s top prospect and the No. 28 overall player in the nation by TennisRecruiting.net. Rice is only the second blue chip recruit from the state of Arkansas by the recruiting service since its inception in 2003.

“We could not be more excited to welcome Tatum to the Razorback tennis program,” Hegarty said. “We knew throughout the recruiting process that Tatum was the perfect fit for our program. Tatum is every program’s dream recruit – a fierce competitor, great student, and most importantly a high character kid.”

Rice won the 2016 Arkansas Class 5A doubles title in October after claiming overall and 5A singles championships last year and finishing runner-up in the state overall tournament as a sophomore in 2014. She also won singles and doubles titles at the 2016 Southern Closed 18-and-under Championships in June in Mobile, Alabama, making her the first Razorback signee to accomplish that feat. At 17-years old, Rice is eligible to compete in the tournament again in 2017.

“I knew a few years ago Tatum was the best in-state recruit this program has ever had,” Hegarty said. “She has increased that belief every day since then, and I can’t wait for her freshman year to begin. Tatum can have a bigger impact on our program than any in-state player we have ever recruited and is arguably among our best signees regardless of home state.”

Rice joins a Razorback program that has made eight NCAA Tournament appearances since 2006, including two trips to the Sweet Sixteen and a run to the Elite Eight in 2008. She is the daughter of Paul and Tracy Webb Rice and has a brother and sister.

Rice’s grandfather Brooks Rice is a member of the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame, while her mother Tracy was the starting point guard for the Arkansas women’s basketball team from 1983-87.

The leader of a recruiting class that put Arkansas on the map, Tracy helped the Razorbacks earn their first NCAA Tournament berth and win the National Women’s Invitational Tournament. After leading Arkansas to four consecutive 20-win seasons, she finished her career holding almost all of the school’s assist and steal records and became the first Razorback to be named to the All-Southwest Conference first team. In addition, she was the fourth Arkansas women’s basketball player inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor.