Jamea Jackson - Women's Tennis Coach - Princeton University Athletics

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

Jamea Jackson

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
jj1546@princeton.edu

Coaching Highlights

Led Princeton to the Round of 32 at the NCAA Tournament twice (2024, 2023)
Led Princeton to two Ivy League Championships (2024, 2023)
Helped Princeton rise as high as No. 30 in the ITA team rankings
Named 2024 Ivy League Coach of the Year
Coached Daria Frayman '23, who in 2023 rose to No. 2 in the ITA singles rankings & was named ITA Northeast Region & Ivy League Player of the Year
Recruited the 14th-ranked incoming class for the class of 2028

Jamea Jackson joined the Princeton family as Women's Tennis Head Coach in July 2022.

Jackson is the ninth head coach in program history. She succeeds Laura Granville, who guided the Tigers to six Ivy League titles, and a program-high ranking of No. 12 in 2020.

The 2023-24 season saw Jackson lead Princeton to the Round of 32 at the NCAA Tournament and the Ivy League title for the second-consecutive season. She was also named Ivy League Coach of the Year. The Tigers rose as high as No. 30 in the ITA team rankings, went 16-7 overall and 6-1 in conference play. Neha Velaga was named First Team All-Ivy in singles while Maia Sung collected Second Team honors.

It didn't take long for Jackson to make an impact at Princeton, as she guided the Tigers to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in her first season, 2022-23. In addition, the Tigers won the Ivy League title outright after going a perfect 7-0 in conference play, 17-7 overall and earned ranked wins over No. 16 Old Dominion and No. 51 Harvard. 2022-23 also saw Daria Frayman earn selection for the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships, where she teamed with Grace Joyce in doubles. Frayman also rose as high as No. 2 in the ITA singles rankings, and No. 26 in doubles with Joyce.

A former professional player, Jackson comes to Princeton with coaching experience at both the collegiate and national levels. Most recently, she coaches with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) where she has served as a National Coach since 2013. Jackson’s role with the USTA was to recruit the top American talent to Orlando for training weeks, camps, and trips and she assisted in all aspects of developing the nation’s best junior and pro tennis players, including current professionals Hailey Baptiste and Katie Volynets, along with 2022 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Rookie of the Year Connie Ma. While with the USTA, she captained the United States U16 team to the Jr. Billie Jean King Cup Team Championship in 2019.

From August 2009 until July 2013, Jackson served as an assistant coach of the women’s tennis team at Oklahoma State University. She helped take the Cowgirls from unranked to No. 37 in the ITA rankings, recruited the No. 4 recruiting class in the country in 2011, managed team travel, ran team practices, and performed budgetary duties.

Jackson served as a Collegiate Tennis Coach with the USTA during the summers of 2010 and 2011, where she coached the top American collegiate players aiming to move from college to the pros. During this time, Jackson guided players, such as Irina Falconi, in their jump to the highest level of the game.

Before entering the coaching ranks, Jackson played full time on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour from March 2003 until August 2009, and achieved a career-high ranking of No. 43 in 2006. Along with playing in all four Grand Slams, she represented the United States in Fed Cup Competition in 2006, and notched wins over Maria Sharapova, Marion Bartoli, Amy Frazier, Maria Kirilenko, and Jelena Jankovic, all former top-20 players.