EDITOR'S NOTE: The Kennesaw State Department of Athletics will induct five new members into its Hall of Fame this fall at a ceremony on Friday, Nov. 6 at NorthStar Church in Kennesaw. The inductees will also be recognized during the Saturday, Nov. 7 KSU football contest against Delaware at Walens Family Field at Fifth Third Stadium.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., providing guests an opportunity to mingle before dinner begins at 6:15 p.m. The induction ceremony is scheduled to begin at 7:10 p.m. Tickets for the Hall of Fame dinner are available for $90 individually or $600 for a table.
 
KSUOwls.com will profile each inductee leading up to the ceremony, beginning with Simon Pritchard.
 

Loyalty means everything to Simon Pritchard. 

Loyalty led him to enroll as a student-athlete at Kennesaw State even after a coaching change occurred following his signing. 

Loyalty kept him competing for the Owls despite the opportunity to transfer. 

Loyalty brought him back from a budding career in private equity to coach at KSU. 

Loyalty guides his recruiting and coaching today. It’s what he credits for his upcoming induction in the Kennesaw State Athletics Hall of Fame. 

“The Hall of Fame wasn’t something I had on my radar at any point,” Pritchard said. “This shows that when you come to a program and make a big impact and show loyalty by sticking around, that loyalty pays off.”

For Pritchard, it’s loyalty that explains why a Welsh boy who grew up with a tennis racquet in his hand will appear on a stage on Nov. 6, now clutching the hardware of a hall of famer.

From the Cradle to the Court

Pritchard’s story begins far from the slopes of Kennesaw Mountain in Newport, Wales, a small town bisected by the River Usk before it empties into the Bristol Channel on the southeast coast of the United Kingdom. 

The Ally-Yr-Yn Tennis Club is the multi-generational athletic hearth and home of the Pritchard family. Pritchard’s grandparents were among the club’s founding members. His parents met and were married at the club, and his father recently retired from a career as a tournament coordinator.

Tennis is in Pritchard’s DNA. 

“There are videos of me running around with a plastic racquet and hitting a balloon when I’m very small,” Pritchard said. “From there, I went down to the tennis club and got my first racquet and had my first lesson. Then, it just grew.”

Pritchard’s passion for tennis grew to the point that, by age 10, he was playing on the club’s men’s team with his father. 

“Any spare time I had in my early years, I was at our tennis club,” Pritchard recalled. 

From Cardiff to Kennesaw

As those early years rolled by, Pritchard outgrew the skill level of the Ally-Yr-Yn Club and went to the Welsh capital of Cardiff to train.

At age 16, Pritchard began two years of boarding school on a tennis scholarship at Millfield School in Street, England. Known for preparing British prep athletes for NCAA sports, Millfield was the logical next step for Pritchard’s pursuit of playing college tennis in the U.S.

Pritchard’s recruiting process began with making a highlight video, much like those he now views daily, and emailing it to 150 American coaches. His recruitment included sifting through several responses and a visit to the University of Iowa, but it ended at KSU. 

“I thought KSU was in a good location, a good fit academically and a good fit for my level of tennis, too,” Pritchard said. “KSU was on the shortlist and came out on top.”

Without even visiting Kennesaw, Pritchard signed with the Owls. His selection of KSU wasn’t just about tennis, though. Life beyond tennis in the Atlanta metro area appealed to Pritchard as well. 

“I wanted better weather than Iowa, and I could see myself working in Atlanta after graduating a lot more than I could in Iowa City,” Pritchard said.

A familiar face also increased his interest in the Owls.

Jorge Wilton, a friend of Pritchard’s and competitive counterpart from Reed’s School in Cobham, England, was a freshman at KSU during his recruitment. 

“Not only was KSU a good fit for me in location, tennis and academics, but I knew that I got along with Jorge, and knew that would help in the transition,” Pritchard said. 

Pritchard and Wilton got along alright. The British duo would go on to a 12-4 career record in doubles play while competing for the Owls. 

A Coaching Change and Catalyst

Before Pritchard even arrived at KSU, he had to choose to stay loyal to the positive impression he received from the university during his recruitment. 

Ahead of his freshman season with the Owls in 2013-14, Eduardo Rincon took over for Greggs as KSU’s head coach, leaving Pritchard with a coach who had not recruited him. 

Pritchard stuck it out, and the coaching change proved a catalyst for Pritchard’s early career as a collegiate tennis player and leader.

“Eduardo wanted to do things very differently than the team had in the past,” Pritchard said. “I was able to help him establish the expectations and team culture.”

After posting a solid 6-4 singles record in fall 2013, another unanticipated change created more opportunity for the freshman Welshman.

The midyear departure of one of the team’s upperclassmen thrust Pritchard into the spotlight as the Owls’ line-one player in spring 2014. Despite his lack of collegiate experience, Pritchard finished his freshman campaign at 15-14 – all while playing number one singles. 

“It was really helpful for my development to be in that spot,” Pritchard remembered. “I got my feet wet a little bit and then started to find my groove in my sophomore, junior and senior seasons.”

From spring 2014 to 2017, Pritchard would star at number one singles in 99 matches for the Owls. He also served as a four-time team captain, earned eight All-Atlantic Sun athletic honors, five academic honors and the distinction of 2016 ASUN Male Student-Athlete of the Year. 

His 61 career singles wins, a school record upon his graduation, remain second all-time at KSU. 

In doubles play, Pritchard’s tandems with Manuel Castellanos (.867), Lucas de Torres Curth (.846) and Wilton (.750) own the top three spots in the program’s doubles career winning percentage standings. 

Loyalty and Opportunity

Notice of Pritchard’s success stretched far beyond the ASUN. While opportunities to transfer arose, the chance to remain number one with the Owls won out.

“I tell recruits and my own players today, it’s one thing for you to go to a bigger school and be their number six or seven guy, or you can come here and be our number one or two,” Pritchard said. “That was the cool thing I had at KSU, which I don’t know if I would have had elsewhere.”

KSU offered Pritchard much more than a number one spot in tennis. 

“I enjoyed going to classes,” Pritchard says. “One of my favorite things outside of tennis was the Cole’s College of Business scholars’ program. That allowed me to get more out of my business degree.”

The leadership abilities Pritchard had developed on the tennis court were honed in the Coles College of Business, particularly during a month of consulting experience while studying abroad in Guatemala.

“That program led to a ton of good relationships with professors and good interviews after graduation,” Pritchard said. 

Those strong relationships and interviews led Pritchard from tennis to a job in private equity after graduation. The competitive nature of the industry meshed well with Pritchard’s inner tennis player. This new career turn appeared to be his destination – until another expected challenge unfolded.

Returning to the Court and KSU

After his first year in private equity, Pritchard was unable to obtain an H-1 B visa, jeopardizing his ability to continue to work in the U.S. Knowing that his chances of receiving the Visa would improve with a master’s degree, Pritchard chose to return to KSU in pursuit of his MBA.

Having returned to KSU, Pritchard thought he might as well work as a men’s tennis graduate assistant coach. 

Yet, just as had occurred when Pritchard first joined the Owls out of Millfield, a coaching change sent him from being hired by Rincon to being reinterviewed by new director of tennis Matt Emery. 

“I thought, ‘I hope he likes me,’ Pritchard said of Emery. “Eduardo [Rincon] knew me for years, but Matt didn’t know me at all.”

The graduate student and new head coach met at a Starbucks on Emery’s first day in Kennesaw. Pritchard received the job offer on the spot.  

What was once a passion for playing tennis quickly grew into a passion for coaching tennis. Just one year into graduate school, Pritchard called his former employer and told them he wouldn’t be returning to private equity after completing his MBA. 

Instead, upon graduation, Pritchard was elevated to a full-time assistant coach role. 

Now the program’s associate head coach, Pritchard has mentored three all-conference honorees, six Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar Athletes, and led the Owls to a CUSA Tournament Semifinal appearance. 

The 15 wins that Pritchard coached KSU to in 2026 are tied for second most in program history. 

Looking back, Pritchard sees how his loyalty to the Owls, from recruit to player, graduate assistant and associate head coach, has shaped what is now a hall of fame tennis career. 

“Had I transferred after my freshman year, there’s zero chance I would have been in anyone’s hall of fame,” Pritchard said. “Loyalty – that’s something I try to recruit. On this team right now, I have guys who are super loyal to KSU and, at the same time, I’m going to be loyal to them.”

The Champions Fund
The Champions Fund is a newly created, 100% tax deductible, philanthropic opportunity to contribute strategic revenue to Kennesaw State Athletics, with the goal of strengthening our ability to recruit and retain top-tier talent in this new era of collegiate athletics. Contributions to the Champions Fund will help aid in funding student-athlete recruitment and retention, as well as helping the Owls provide competitive excellence through investments in coaching, travel and facilities. The fund will also give an elevated student-athlete experience, including enhanced academic, nutrition, wellness and leadership programs. Donate to the Champions Fund here and help us support our Kennesaw State Owls.