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Princeton University Athletics
Kathy Sell Named Head Women's Tennis Coach
May 17, 2004 | Women's Tennis
May 17, 2004
Kathy Sell, whose tennis career at Duke was marked by success on and off the court, has been named the head women's tennis coach at Princeton University, Director of Athletics Gary Walters
"I am extremely flattered by this opportunity," Sell said. "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. Sell comes to Princeton from the University of Oregon, where she was an assistant coach for the Ducks.
"We're very excited about the opportunity to hire Kathy as our new head coach for women's tennis," 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." Sell is 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. The Ducks went 17-9 this season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
"When I heard about the opening at Princeton, I was extremely intrigued," said Sell, a native of Moorestown, N.J. "I think I have an understanding of the kinds of student-athletes who choose Princeton. I'll be a good fit there."