Elizabeth Begley Named Women's Tennis Head Coach
7/11/2024
A familiar face to Princeton Athletics, Elizabeth Begley has been named the 10th head coach of Princeton’s women’s tennis program as announced by Ford Family Director of Athletics John Mack ‘00. She replaces Jamea Jackson who resigned following the 2023-24 season to take the head coach role at Arizona State.
Begley spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the women’s program at the University of Southern California. Before her time at USC, she was the Associate Head Coach at Loyola Marymount from 2018-21.
This will not be Begley’s first stint coaching at Princeton, having previously served as the Cornelia Drake and John Van Ryn Jr. '28 Assistant Coach of Women's Tennis with the Tigers from 2015-18. During her three seasons with the Orange and Black, Begley helped the Tigers to a pair of Ivy League championships (2016, 2018) and subsequent trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers posted an overall record of 45-23 and were 16-5 in Ivy League play with Begley on staff and were ranked as high as 22nd during her tenure.
“We are thrilled to welcome Elizabeth back to Princeton as our new head coach of women’s tennis,” said Mack. “It is rare that you get to hire a coach with Elizabeth’s passion for coaching young women, experience as a high level NCAA player and successful track record of coaching elite student-athletes. So much of the success that our program has had over the last decade can be traced to Elizabeth’s previous work here as an assistant coach, and I truly believe that the sky is the limit as she takes over the team as our new head coach.”
During her time with the Trojans, Begley helped USC to a 58-31 overall record and three trips to the NCAA Tournament where USC won at least one match in all three appearances and reached the Round of 16 in 2024. During the 2023-24 season, Begley helped mentor a Trojan squad which was ranked as high as No. 5 during the spring and had three individuals qualify for the NCAA Tournament in addition to the team’s run to the Super Regionals. Before her time at USC, she was the Associate Head Coach at Loyola Marymount from 2018-21.
“I am thrilled to be back at Princeton University as the head coach of the women’s tennis team,” Begley said. “I am so thankful to John Mack and the entire search committee for this opportunity. Seeing all the incredible progress John and his staff are making for Princeton Athletics is inspiring and makes me so honored to be a part of the future of what is already one of the most successful women’s programs across any sport inside not just the Ivy League but around the country. Princeton Women's Tennis is a special program that opens many doors for the student-athletes and I am dedicated to continuing its legacy."
At LMU, Begley helped take the Lions from unranked to a top-45 ITA ranking in one season, reaching a program high rank of 44th in 2020 before the rest of that season was cancelled due to COVID-19. She also led recruiting efforts that led to LMU signing the most decorated recruit in program history.
Before her successful stint as an assistant at Princeton, Begley spent one season as a volunteer assistant coach at Baylor, where she helped the Bears to the NCAA team quarterfinals, a berth in the NCAA singles Round of 16 and the NCAA doubles quarterfinals. While three Baylor players earned All-Big 12 honors, the program also had the Big 12 Player of the Year and the Big 12 Coach of the Year.
During her playing career at Texas, Begley had 86 career singles wins and helped the Longhorns to two Big 12 championships, finishing her senior season as the team's No. 2 singles player and ranked 114th in the nation by the ITA. Texas played in the NCAA team tournament in each of her first three seasons, winning at least one match all three times and advancing to the Round of 16 her sophomore year. Begley was an two-time All-Big 12 singles selection and was also a two-time Big 12 individual position champion. Begley was selected as the Most Outstanding Performer at the 2012 Big 12 Championships and won the 2014 ITA Texas Region Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sportsmanship & Leadership Award. Begley earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
“Elizabeth is exceptionally well prepared to carry on the Princeton women's tennis program's tradition of success. What truly sets her apart is how much she cares about her players, and wants them to reach their potential both on the court and off. I’ve seen her leadership grow as she played an integral role in the success that USC and Loyola Marymount have enjoyed in recent years. With Elizabeth’s work ethic and passion for coaching, Princeton women’s tennis is in good hands.”
Laura Granville, Former Princeton (2012-22) Women's Tennis Head Coach
“I am so excited for Elizabeth to take on this new role. She helped me greatly as a player at USC, keeping me focused on achieving my goals and supporting me each step of the way. She maintains a great connection with all of her players, and cares deeply about their development as students, players and people. She is ready for this opportunity and will do great things with Princeton's women's tennis team.”
Eryn Cayetano, Two-Time All-American At USC
