Sell Heads Back East to Take Over at Princeton
EUGENE, Ore. ? University of Oregon women’s assistant tennis coach Kathy Sell accepted the women’s head coaching position at Princeton University Tuesday.
"I am extremely flattered by this opportunity," said Sell, a native of Moorestown, N.J. "I’m very excited to immerse myself at Princeton and to create an energetic and competitive tennis environment. I’m very much looking forward to getting there and getting started."
Sell replaces Louise Gengler, who is retiring after 25 seasons at Princeton, the longest tenure for a female coach in school history.
"We’re very excited about the opportunity to hire Kathy as our new head coach for women’s tennis," Princeton Director of Athletics Gary Walters said. "She has considerable experience as a successful player, and she also has a great understanding of athletics as part of the overall educational mission that defines Princeton."
At Oregon, Sell was a vital part of the women’s tennis team improvements over the past two seasons. The Ducks went from 10-15 in 2002-03 to 17-9 this season, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament and earning a top 25 ranking for a majority of the season.
"I am extremely proud of Kathy," Oregon head coach Nils Schyllander said. "She is well deserving of the position and will do a tremendous job. The move also shows the Oregon program is moving in the right direction. She was a big part of our success and will be missed."
Prior to Oregon, Sell was a 2001 graduate of Duke, where she shared the university’s Athlete of the Year award with men’s basketball player Shane Battier. Sell was the first female recipient of the award.
Her highest NCAA singles ranking was seventh her senior year, when she was named an All-America. She also was a national indoor semifinalist.
While at Duke, Sell was a member of the Duke Student Athlete Advisory Committee, of which she served as president her senior year. She also formed the SAGE Mentor Program, where each incoming freshman athlete was assigned a senior athlete from a different sport to assist in the transition to the university.
Sell has a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology, and she is finishing her master’s degree in anthropology at Oregon.
"When I heard about the opening at Princeton, I was extremely intrigued," Sell said. "I think I have an understanding of the kinds of student-athletes who choose Princeton. I’ll be a good fit there."
