Kent Norsworthy is entering his 21st season as the head coach of the UNG women’s tennis program and his first as the Director of Tennis in a groundbreaking move from the athletic department.
With Norsworthy’s promotion to Director of Tennis and selection as the sole head coach of the women’s program, North Georgia has two tennis head coaches for the first time in school history.
Norsworthy has spent the last 20 seasons as head coach of the both the Nighthawk men’s and women’s tennis teams, captaining both programs since their inception at the NCAA Division II level in 2006.
Under Norsworthy’s leadership, UNG has become one of the premier destinations for collegiate tennis. The two-decade leader of the program has led both teams to multiple NCAA Tournament runs and appearances at their respective NCAA Championship sites.
On the women’s side, the Nighthawks made history in 2024 with a staggering 25-2 record, Peach Belt Conference Regular-season and Tournament titles and the first ever National Semifinalist finish in program history. That preceded a repetition of both conference regular-season and tournament championships and an NCAA Elite 8 appearance again in 2025.
In 2025 Norsworthy also ushered in a new era of UNG men’s tennis, guiding the team to their first ever appearance at the NCAA Championship site with a Round of 16 finish after defeating seven ranked opponents during the season.
Norsworthy has compiled 465 wins (men - 211, women - 254) during his tenure. He holds a cumulative .563 career winning percentage. During North Georgia’s ascension to the highest level of the sport in the last 10 seasons, Norsworthy has won over 70 percent of contests amidst the rise.
Under Norsworthy’s stewardship, the UNG men’s and women’s tennis teams have totaled 6 PBC Players of the Year, 46 All-Conference selections and 12 ITA All-Americans.
In 2021 Norsworthy was named the Wilson ITA Women's Coach of the Year for the Southeast Region after leading the Nighthawks to a 15-win season and a fifth consecutive NCAA appearance. He led both the men and women to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and 2022.
On the women's side in 2019, the Nighthawks advanced through the regional round and advanced all the way to the Elite Eight after finishing as PBC Tournament runner-up for the first time in program history. The 2019 team saw the first ITA Regional Singles Champion in program history (Vaishali Jorge) and an ITA All-American (Adrienne Bofinger).
In 2018, Norsworthy led the women's team to the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year and to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. Norsworthy coached both the men and women to NCAA Tournament berths in 2017, the first-ever for the women and the fifth for the men.
In 2016, Norsworthy led both the men's and women's programs to their best seasons in modern history and was honored as the Peach Belt Conference men's Coach of the Year. The 2016 men's squad made a run to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time in school history. It was just the second time a UNG program other than softball finished in the top 16 in the country since moving to the NCAA in 2005-06.
Norsworthy coached the men's team to its first-ever berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament, ending the 2012 season ranked No. 26 nationally (14-9). The men returned to the regional tournament in 2014 ending their season ranked No. 34, making two out of the three years reaching the NCAA tournament.
Norsworthy is a product of the UNG tennis program, where he competed for four years. He was named to the All-Conference team for the GACC in 1998 while winning the Conference Tournament Championship during the 1998 season, earning a spot in the 1998 NAIA national tournament. The North Georgia men’s team reached a No. 21 national ranking during his junior season (2000).
After graduating, Norsworthy taught lessons professionally in Alpharetta at Windward Lake Club Along with Crooked Creek where he was the Assistant Academy Director. He also was the director of junior tennis at the Fields Club in Duluth from 2003-05.
He earned certification by the USPTA (United States Professional Tennis Association) in 2001, being awarded a P-1 certification. He is also a member of the GPTA (Georgia Professional Tennis Association). Norsworthy has been the Director of Tennis at Achasta Golf Club since 2010.
Norsworthy served on the NCAA Division II women’s regional advisory committee starting in 2011. He also began a term on the NCAA Division II men’s regional advisory committee during the 2014 season.
The Smyrna, Georgia, native is a 2001 graduate of North Georgia. Norsworthy attended Mount Vernon Christian Academy graduating in 1997. He was a four-sport letter winner in tennis, basketball, soccer and baseball. During his tennis career, he was ranked as high as 18th in the state of Georgia and reached a Southern ranking of 61st.
Norsworthy trained at ATA with Danny Carlson in Marietta. He still plays ALTA at the AA-1 level.
Updated: June 2025
