Cavett, who also serves as the teaching professional for the Cleveland Country Club, is the type who spends most of his time talking about his student athletes and not himself. He kind of let the 200th win slip right on by. However, he also realized the victories show just how much the Lee programs have grown over the past 10 years.
"I want to thank (athletic director) Larry Carpenter, and of course Dr. Paul Conn (Lee President) for the support through the years," said Cavett. "The players are amazingly hard workers on and off the court. They seem to be respected on campus and in the community because of this. My assistant Al Schuelke has been a very valuable part of the program. The players think very highly of him. Getting the 200th win was a great way to top off an amazing year at Lee."
Cavett took over the Lee men's program in 1998 and fought hard to turn the Flames into consistent winners by 2002. They have now posted six straight winning seasons and have advanced to the NAIA National Tournament for four consecutive years. This past season the Flames advanced to the Elite Eight of the national tournament for the first time in the school's history. Playing in the rugged Southern States Athletic, Lee was 15-5 overall.
Cavett was asked to take over the women's program in 1999. He has coached the Lady Flames to eight straight winning seasons. They have appeared in three NAIA Nationals. The Lady Flames completed the 2007 campaign with a 13-5 record.
"Coach Cavett has quietly taken both the men's and women's tennis teams to the top level of the NAIA," said Lee's athletic director Larry Carpenter. "Over the past few years, both teams have been ranked in the Top 25 with the men cracking the Top 10 and owning their highest ranking ever of No. 9 this past year. His athletes are quality young men and women who do well academically while representing Lee in a first-class manner. He is always looking for ways to work with kids in the community and his athletes do an outstanding job with the projects he lines up. Winning 200 matches is a major accomplishment but Tony would be the last person to acknowledge this feat. He is a credit to Lee University and the sport of tennis and we are proud to have him on our staff."
Going into the upcoming season, Cavett's overall men's coaching record is 101-84 and his women's mark stands at 100-62.