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Coaches

Head Coach: Carol Daniels (Penn State '82, eighth season)
Assistant Coach: Katie Dougherty (Wisconsin '02, first season)

Carol Daniels Alma Mater: Penn State University '82 Position: Head Coach Experience: Eighth Season

Continuing to build a strong tradition at American University, Carol Daniels enters her eighth year at the helm of the women’s tennis program.

In 1996, American’s men’s and women’s tennis coaching positions were split, making Daniels the first full-time women’s tennis coach in school history. Under her direction, the program has flourished, and with the Eagles earning their first conference championship and NCAA berth in 2002, the team looks to continue toward championship-level play.

Named the 2002 Patriot League Coach of the Year, Daniels guided the Eagles to a 12-5 record (5-0 in the Patriot League), a year that was one of the best seasons in school history. Since joining the Patriot League in 2001, Daniels has two consecutive Patriot League Players of the Year in Olga Mikhailova (2002) and Katarina Kollarova (2003), as well as two consecutive Patriot League Scholar Athlete's of the Year. She has had six All-Patriot League team members in two years, with Kristing Georgieva and Katarina Kollarova making the first team and Olga Mikhailova and Aleksandra Zerkalova making second team in 2003. Daniels also takes pride in the fact that she has had five consecutive ITA Academic All-American Teams (1998-2003).

Adding to her accomplishments, the 2000 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Coach of the Year, Daniels guided the Eagles to a .667 winning percentage and a fourth-place finish in the CAA that year - their best conference effort since the 1996 campaign. It was the first time in school history that an AU women’s tennis coach had been so honored.

Daniels’ teams garnered several honors both on and off the court. Off the court, the program has earned four consecutive team ITA All-Academic awards, which honors teams with a cumulative 3.2 or higher, as well as several individual ITA All-Academic awards. In addition, 2001 graduate Regan Campbell became the first student-athlete in American tennis history to earn the prestigious Arthur Ashe Jr. Sportsmanship & Leadership Award.

Prior to her appointment at American, Daniels served as an assistant men’s and women’s tennis coach at Old Dominion University from 1992-96.

A 1982 graduate of Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation and Parks Management, Daniels brings a wealth of tennis experience to American University. She has played and coached both at the collegiate and national levels and was a member of the ITA and NCAA Eastern Region Committees from 1999-2001. Daniels served as the tournament director of the 1994 and 1995 CAA Championships, and for her work in 1990, Daniels was named the Virginia Tennis Association Tournament Director of the Year and the Mid-Atlantic Tennis Association Director of the Year for the second straight year.

As a student-athlete at Penn State, Daniels competed at first singles and doubles for the Nittany Lions, qualifying for the AIAW Nationals three times. Following graduation, Daniels played on the professional circuit where she competed both domestically and abroad, having wins over players ranked in the top 200 in the world. Formerly ranked No. 1 by the Mid-Atlantic section, she won the USTA National 35 Indoor Singles Championship in 1994.

Daniels resides in Dulles, Va.