University of Delaware Athletics
Laura Travis Steps Down as Delaware Women's Tennis Head Coach
4/26/2018 2:30:00 PM | Women's Tennis
NEWARK, Del. -- One of the longest tenured coaches in University of Delaware history, Laura Travis has announced that she will be stepping away as women's tennis head coach.
Travis, a 1989 honors graduate of the University of Delaware, recently completed her 26th year as the women's tennis head coach. She previously served as both the men's and women's tennis head coach for 21 years before handing over the men's coaching reigns in August 2014.
“What an amazing journey this has been from my undergraduate student-athlete experience to coaching the varsity programs and everything in between,” remarked Travis. “I am grateful to Mary Ann Hitchens and Edgar Johnson, who provided the opportunity to pursue my dream of coaching collegiate tennis and to join a select few women in the country to coach an NCAA DI men's program. Taking part in the growth and development of so many student-athletes has been incredibly rewarding and the relationships built along the way with the athletes, their families, fellow co-workers and tennis coaches throughout the country is something I will always cherish. The future at UD is bright and it will be exciting to see the next chapter unfold!”
On the women's side, she led the Blue Hens to a 26-year record of 295-165 (.641), which included establishing school records for wins in three different seasons when the Hens posted marks of 17-0, 17-1 and 17-9.
Most recently, Travis guided Delaware to 10-plus wins in nine of the last 13 seasons, including a 12-6 mark (3-1 CAA) during the 2017-18 campaign.
The first female to coach a men's team at the University of Delaware, Travis was a five-time conference Coach of the Year, twice in men's and three times in women's tennis, including 2016-17 CAA Coach of the Year honors.
Off of the court, Travis' teams have been perennial recipients of the NCAA APR Academic Recognition Award and ITA All-Academic Team recognitions. Additionally, her teams volunteered regularly with Special Olympics and the Tennis in the Streets event, which introduces more than 700 inner-city at-risk youths, many of which have never held a racquet before, to the sport of tennis.
During her tenure, Travis introduced tennis to more than 800 undergraduate students in the physical education department, helped initiate and mentor the Club Tennis team, captained the UD Corporate Tennis team and provided numerous camps and clinics for the community.
The former Laura LeRoy was one of the all-time great tennis players in Blue Hen history during her career from 1985-89. A native of Wilmington, Del. and an All-State player at Tower Hill School, she was a four-time East Coast Conference champion in singles and doubles and led UD to ECC team titles in 1987 and 1988.
While at Delaware, she set school records for singles wins in a season (22 in 1988-89) and a career (73-12) and doubles wins in a career (26-9 with Christie Ellis). She was the 1988-89 ECC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's tennis and a CoSIDA/GTE District II All-Academic second team selection.
Also a four-time team Most Valuable Player, Travis was inducted into the University of Delaware Athletics Hall of Fame in November 2001, the USTA Delaware District Hall of Fame in 2009, and the USTA Middle States Hall of Fame in October 2014.
“Laura has had a great impact on Delaware Tennis. We are beyond grateful for her contributions and commitment to this University,” said Delaware Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation Services, Chrissi Rawak. “What started as a standout career led to a Hall of Fame induction and over 25 years of dedication, commitment and passion to build and develop our program and student athletes. Laura has been a positive mentor for so many of our young men and women over the years and is well deserving of the legacy she has imparted here.”
A national search for a new women's head coach will begin in the coming months.
MEDIA CONTACT: Maggie Hayon, Assistant Athletics Communications Director | mhayon@udel.edu | O: 302-831-6389 | C: 302-379-9181
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