The resignation of longtime Colorado tennis coach Nicole Kenneally last month created an opportunity to hit the reset button on a program that generally has struggled to gain traction since joining the Pac-12 Conference.
In that spirit, athletic director Rick George is handing the keys to the program to a new coach with a lengthy track record within the league.
On Tuesday, CU announced it has hired Danielle Steinberg as the program’s 10th head coach, but just the third over the past 30 years. Steinberg spent the past four seasons as the head coach at Kansas State and was named the 2018 ITA Central Region Coach of the Year in May.
“We are excited that Danielle will become our new tennis coach,” George said in a statement. “I charged our search committee, led by (assistant AD) Jill Keegan, to find the very best coach for CU and they did an outstanding job getting Danielle as our next coach. She brings great experience to her role both as a player and coach and I am excited to see what she will accomplish in the future.”
This past spring, Steinberg led Kansas State to 15 wins, tying the top mark in program history, while leading the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 15 years. She also was the head coach at McNeese State for two seasons and was an all-league player at Arizona, where she graduated in 2010. As a singles player at UA, Steinberg qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times and also was a three-time All-Pac-10 selection.
Steinberg owns an overall record of 76-74 in six seasons as a head coach.
Kenneally led the Buffs for 19 years prior to her resignation on May 21.
Pat Rooney: rooneyp@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/prooney07
