Saturday, July 27th, 2024

Jill Philbrick Gentry | 1961 - 1963 | Lubbock High School | Girl's Tennis

Jill Philbrick Gentry grew up in a tennis family. Her father was the Texas Tech Tennis Coach for 26 seasons, and her sisters and brother all grew up competing in tennis tournaments. In junior high and high school, Gentry was the Amarillo Tri-State Singles Champion, won the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation State Singles Title in 1960 and 1961, and was the Cotton Bowl Champion in both singles and doubles.

During Gentry’s sophomore year at Lubbock High School, she placed second at the 4A State Tournament. Her junior year she was the runner-up at the Regional Tournament. In 1963, her senior year, Gentry won the 4A State Tournament. She became the first State Champion in tennis from Lubbock ISD.

In 1962 and 1963, she was selected to play on the Texas Junior Wightman Cup Team, competing in Intersectional Team Matches in Germantown, Pennsylvania and the National Girls 18 Championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

After high school, Gentry went to college at Texas Tech University. In the summer of 1964, she was selected to play on the United States Tennis Association Junior Wightman Cup Team as the representative from Texas. She competed in the Grass Court Circuit in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She qualified to play in the United States Lawn Tennis Association Championships at Forest Hill, New York.

Gentry went on to teach elementary school, retiring after 30 years of service. She currently lives in Austin with her husband, Adrian, where she continues to play tennis for fun and in USTA tennis leagues.
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