In his first season with the Big Red, Barrick helped Cornell to unprecedented success, as the team won its first-ever Ivy League championship and earned its first berth in the NCAA tournament in school history in 2011.
Barrick helped led the squad to a school record 26 victories with a mark of 26-5 overall and a perfect 7-0 mark in Ivy League play. The Big Red placed three players on the All-Ivy League teams in four positions, led by Jonathan Jaklitsch, who earned first-team honors in both singles and doubles. Also garnering all-league accolades were Andy Gauthier in singles and Evan Bernstein in doubles. That total marks the most league award winners in a single season in Cornell men’s tennis history.
Prior to his arrival on East Hill, Barrick was a standout player at Virginia, helping the Cavaliers to three National Indoor team championships.
“Houston played for me at Virginia for four years so I know exactly what type of person and role model he will be for our kids,” said Bresky. “He was an outstanding player and leader at UVA, a two-time captain who played as high as #1 singles and doubles for us. However, I think his most remarkable achievement is that in four years the team he played on never lost an ACC match and I believe a lot of our success was due in large part to his leadership. I expect him to play a big role in the development of our program and feel fortunate to have him on our staff”
A four-year starter at Virginia, Barrick was a two-time team captain and posted a 60-0 record in the ACC over his four seasons. He played as high as No. 1 in both singles and doubles at UVA and helped the Cavaliers to a 140-6 record during his career. Individually, Barrick finished his time at UVA with a singles record of 102-31 and doubles record of 115-34. A two-time NCAA All-Tournament Team selection, he was also named the 2010 ACC Tournament MVP and was selected to the All-ACC first team following his senior season. Barrick ranked as high as No. 2 in doubles competition and No. 50 in singles. An outstanding student, he was also a member of the All-ACC Academic Team in 2009 and 2010.
Barrick went to Virginia following a standout junior career in which he achieved a No. 1 ranking in the USTA boys’ 18s singles rankings and was named a top 10 recruit in the class of 2007. He earned a Gold Ball by winning the 2006 USTA 18s Spring National Championship and a Silver Ball by finishing second in doubles at the event. Barrick also won numerous sportsmanship awards as a junior player, including the prestigious Bill Talbert Junior Sportsmanship Award from the USTA.
He graduated from UVA in 2010 with a bachelor of arts degree in government.
