The University of Mary Washington athletic department is proud to announce the hiring of Alexandra Covington as head women's tennis coach.
"Coach Covington's experience and proven coaching ability will be a great asset to the team and the department and I look forward to welcoming her to UMW", said UMW Director of Athletics Patrick Catullo.
Covington comes to Fredericksburg after serving since 2017 as the Director of Tennis at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, where she successfully developed both the men's and women's programs, leading the 2021-22 women's team to a 15-5 record, breaking the school record for season victories, breaking the school record for consecutive wins during her tenure.
"I would like to thank Patrick Catullo and the hiring committee for this opportunity", said Covington. "I am honored to have been chosen to lead this program. The women's tennis team at UMW has a tremendous legacy of excellence and I am thrilled to be a part of its future."
A native of Villa Hills, Kentucky, Covington played tennis collegiately for four years at the University of Indianapolis, a member of the NCAA Division-II Great Lakes Valley Conference. Earning three letters on the court, she was named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar-Athlete each year from 2010-13, and was selected to the GLVC All-Academic Team in 2011. As a senior in 2012-13, she tied for the team lead with 12 doubles wins, helping Indianapolis to a 10-4 overall record, and 5-1 GLVC mark.
In each summer from 2011-13, Covington worked as coach, counselor, and dorm director at the Stanford University Nike Tennis Camp under legendary coach Dick Gould, who led Stanford to 17 NCAA championships.
Covington, heavily involved in teaching the sport, has served as a PTR GameChangers Committee member. PTR is the largest global organization of tennis teaching professionals with more than 16,000 members in 131 countries. It has the greatest percentage of multicultural and women members of any such organization. In February 2020, Covington was named PTR's Young Professional of the Year.
She was a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Indianapolis with a degree in history and minor in Spanish, before attending the University of Louisville to pursue a Masters in history, with a concentration in British history. At Louisville, she served as a graduate teaching assistant in the history department.