Meredith Hinton Makes Generous Gift To Pirates Women’s Tennis Program
December 08, 2025 | Women's Tennis
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina University Women's Tennis locker room in Minges Coliseum will now proudly bear the name of former head coach Tom Morris. Former ECU women's tennis student-athlete Meredith Hinton made a generous contribution with the request that the locker room be named after Morris. The newly named Tom Morris Women's Tennis Locker Room was unveiled during a ceremony Friday afternoon.
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Hinton, an attorney with Ricci Law Firm in Greenville, starred for the Pirates from 1999-2002. A longtime supporter of ECU Athletics, she and her husband, Hank, and two sons, Holt and Hunter, have deep ties to the university. Hinton earned her bachelor of science degree in political science in 2002 and currently serves on the Pirate Club Executive Committee as general counsel.
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"I am proud to be able to make this contribution to name the East Carolina University's Women's Tennis Team's Locker room after Tom Morris who was my coach from 1998 to 2002," Hinton said. "Coach Morris had a significant impact on my life on and off the court. To be able to make this gift in his honor means a lot to me and all the players who had the privilege to play for him."
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"We are so appreciative of Meredith and the entire Hinton family," Pirate Club Executive Director Ryan Robinson said. "Tom Morris impacted so many student-athletes during his time at ECU, and it was very important to Meredith that the locker room carry his name. To have a former student-athlete have such an incredible experience and want to give back to their university specifically to honor their coach, is unique and special. It does not happen often."
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Morris, a North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame inductee and East Carolina's all-time women's tennis wins leader, retired in 2020 after 22 years at the helm. He amassed 320 victories - an average of nearly 16 per spring – along with 68 wins while serving as ECU's men's coach from 1999 to 2004. Including a nine-year tenure at Barton College, Morris' career win count stands at an impressive 563 wins.
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"My family and I so grateful to Meredith for this unbelievable honor," Morris said. "I have been fortunate to be recognized in different ways for my career, but to have one of your players do this is extremely special and humbling. You get into coaching to impact young people, and your goal is you want to look back and make sure they all have a wonderful experience."
During Morris' tenure, ECU set records for single-season victories three times - first in 2005 (17), then again in 2006 (19-9), before shattering the existing standard with a 22-3 mark in 2019. His final full season became the most successful in program history, as the Pirates rebounded from two early losses to roll off 22 straight victories - the longest winning streak by any sport in ECU history. The Pirates achieved a program-best No. 49 ranking by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association that season.
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Off the court, Morris' program was regularly recognized with numerous national academic and community service accolades. East Carolina was cited as an ITA All-Academic Team for eight consecutive years and claimed the ITA Community Service Award for the Carolina Region in 2019.Â
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Hinton, an attorney with Ricci Law Firm in Greenville, starred for the Pirates from 1999-2002. A longtime supporter of ECU Athletics, she and her husband, Hank, and two sons, Holt and Hunter, have deep ties to the university. Hinton earned her bachelor of science degree in political science in 2002 and currently serves on the Pirate Club Executive Committee as general counsel.
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"I am proud to be able to make this contribution to name the East Carolina University's Women's Tennis Team's Locker room after Tom Morris who was my coach from 1998 to 2002," Hinton said. "Coach Morris had a significant impact on my life on and off the court. To be able to make this gift in his honor means a lot to me and all the players who had the privilege to play for him."
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"We are so appreciative of Meredith and the entire Hinton family," Pirate Club Executive Director Ryan Robinson said. "Tom Morris impacted so many student-athletes during his time at ECU, and it was very important to Meredith that the locker room carry his name. To have a former student-athlete have such an incredible experience and want to give back to their university specifically to honor their coach, is unique and special. It does not happen often."
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Morris, a North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame inductee and East Carolina's all-time women's tennis wins leader, retired in 2020 after 22 years at the helm. He amassed 320 victories - an average of nearly 16 per spring – along with 68 wins while serving as ECU's men's coach from 1999 to 2004. Including a nine-year tenure at Barton College, Morris' career win count stands at an impressive 563 wins.
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"My family and I so grateful to Meredith for this unbelievable honor," Morris said. "I have been fortunate to be recognized in different ways for my career, but to have one of your players do this is extremely special and humbling. You get into coaching to impact young people, and your goal is you want to look back and make sure they all have a wonderful experience."
During Morris' tenure, ECU set records for single-season victories three times - first in 2005 (17), then again in 2006 (19-9), before shattering the existing standard with a 22-3 mark in 2019. His final full season became the most successful in program history, as the Pirates rebounded from two early losses to roll off 22 straight victories - the longest winning streak by any sport in ECU history. The Pirates achieved a program-best No. 49 ranking by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association that season.
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Off the court, Morris' program was regularly recognized with numerous national academic and community service accolades. East Carolina was cited as an ITA All-Academic Team for eight consecutive years and claimed the ITA Community Service Award for the Carolina Region in 2019.Â
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