Nov. 19, 2009
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IOWA CITY, IA – The University of Iowa Athletics Department today announced that Katie Dougherty is the head coach of the women’s tennis program. Dougherty is a five-year coaching veteran in the Big Ten Conference, having spent time at Penn State and Wisconsin. The announcement came from Senior Associate Athletics Director Jane Meyer.
“We are extremely excited to announce Katie Dougherty as our new women’s tennis coach,” said Meyer. “Katie brings coaching experiences from two other Big Ten institutions along with a Big Ten playing career. We are confident in her ability to teach and develop our student-athletes and to move our women’s tennis program forward.”
Dougherty most recently served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Wisconsin, where she managed the day-to-day operations of the women’s tennis program and served as a co-director of Badger summer tennis camps. Her 2008 and 2009 recruiting classes received national recognition from Tennisrecruiting.net.
Dougherty served as an assistant coach at Penn State (2004-07) and American University (2003-04) before joining the Badgers. She helped guide American to the 2004 Patriot League title and automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work at the University of Iowa,” said Dougherty. “I could not have been more impressed with Iowa’s support staff, facilities and people. I want to thank Jane Meyer, Gary Barta and the search committee for granting me this opportunity. The excitement around Iowa athletics is incredible and I look forward to building a top notch tennis program.”
Before beginning her coaching career at the Western Racquet Club in 2003, Dougherty competed collegiately at Wisconsin (1999-2002). A four-year letterwinner for the Badgers, Dougherty finished her career with 45 singles victories. She was also a nationally-ranked doubles player, claiming 45 career doubles wins.
Since 2008, Dougherty has been a Professional Tennis Registry Certified Professional. She was a nationally-ranked junior player in singles and doubles and was the 1997 Baltimore Sun Athlete of the Year. She graduated from Wisconsin in 2002 with a degree in English.