Levi Patton is in his eighth year as head coach for the Belhaven University Men’s and Women’s Tennis programs.
An Alabama native, Patton was a member of the tennis program at Gadsden State Community College from 2000-02 before being recruited to play at Belhaven University from 2002-04.
Patton was also a member of the 2003 Cross Country program. Coach Patton graduated from Belhaven University in 2004 where he received his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. In 2006 he received his Master's degree in Business Management.
Patton is a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) certified teaching professional level P1. Patton also holds certification by the United State Tennis Association (USTA) as a referee and an umpire.
In January 2010 Patton became sponsored by Prince and added to the Prince Team. Patton is also a Sports Administration adjunct instructor at Belhaven University.
In 2014, Patton was awarded the Southern College Coach of the Year Award by the United States Professional Tennis Association. In 2009, Patton was awarded the Rookie Pro of the Year Award by the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) for the State of Mississippi and also received the Southern Rookie Pro of the Year Award later in 2009.
Patton is also a Junior Southern Cup Coach for Team Mississippi (Formerly Junior Davis Cup). Patton has also served on the Mississippi State Board of the United States Professional Tennis Association.
Since Patton's arrival at Belhaven, the tennis program has seen substantial growth, development and vision. It is currently the largest tennis program in the school’s history. Belhaven's men's and women's tennis programs reached the NAIA top 25. Patton's return to a top 25 men's program comes after a 10-year absence. For the women's program, it was the first time in the school’s history.
In 2012, the men’s team under Patton's guidance earned a trip to the national tournament and made it to the round of 16, the first time in school history under the NAIA postseason's team format.
Patton continued to develop growth in the two programs, breaking the men's program into the top 10 for the first time in over 20 years. The men's team reached a high ranking of No. 8 during the season.
