UNM women's tennis head coach Kathy Kolankiewicz announced Wednesday that she plans to retire after the 2008-09 season.
Roy Canada, assistant coach to Kolankiewicz for 12 seasons, will take over July 1.
Kolankiewicz said she has mixed emotions about coaching her last season.
"I am very excited about this year," Kolankiewicz said. "I have three seniors with four years of experience, and we want to end on a high note."
UNM men's assistant coach Loren Dils will replace Kolankiewicz as the director of the Lobo Tennis Club - a position Kolankiewicz has held since 1999.
Kolankiewicz is entering her 24th season as head coach of the team. She is the longest tenured coach at UNM and has a career record of 346-222. She led New Mexico to seven NCAA Championship appearances.
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Kolankiewicz was also named the 1997 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and the 2004 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year.
Under Kolankiewicz, UNM has been ranked in the top 60 each of the last 11 years, and the women's team broke into the top 25 three times in that span. The women's team reached the semifinals of the conference tournament every year under Kolankiewicz.
In 2004, Sandy Lukowski and Maja Kovacek became the first women's tennis team members to receive All-American honors after reaching the NCAA women's tennis semifinals. In 2005, Kovacek was paired with Iva Gersic, and the duo earned a No. 4 seeding in the NCAA Championships, as well as All-American honors.
Kolankiewicz's players excelled not only on the court but in the classroom. The UNM squad was on the ITA All-Academic for 12 straight years, earning a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
"It is a huge boost of confidence on the court when students do well in the classroom," Kolankiewicz said. "You have to have the whole package as a student athlete."
Canada has been the top assistant under Kolankiewicz and has helped the program to a 213-112 record since he joined the staff in 1996.
But before Canada assumes coaching duties, Kolankiewicz will have one more chance to coach her team in the MWC Championships, which are on April 22-25 at the Albuquerque Tennis Complex.
"It is a huge advantage to have the Mountain West Conference championships in Albuquerque," Kolankiewicz said. "Albuquerque is a great supporting city for both the men and the women. It is a fantastic way to end my coaching career."
Canada is a 1994 UNM graduate and received many awards during his career, including All-American and All-WAC honors.
Canada helped the Lobos win three straight conference championships from 1992-94 with his partner Coulter Wright.
Kolankiewicz is convinced Canada is the right choice to succeed her, she said. "He will make the changes needed for the program year-to-year," Kolankiewicz said. "He is ready to take over, and he makes me feel really good to continue building the UNM program."
UNM Fall Invite
Friday
UNM Tennis Complex
