View and download the entire issue of ATR 66 – January 2019 Vol 20 No 2A
Photo courtesy of Ann Lebedeff
In 1974, San Diego State’s Ann Lebedeff and Karen Reinke Bishop won the U.S. Intercollegiate Women’s Doubles Championship. It was the first national title earned by Aztec tennis players.
Now, after a 40-year coaching career at three schools that led to dozens of national awards and Hall of Fame honors, Lebedeff has stepped to the sidelines.
By one count, Lebedeff’s teams won 654 victories, 2 NCAA national championships and 14 conference titles while at Arizona, Cal Poly Pomona and Pomona-Pitzer College.
“I have had a wonderful collegiate coaching career,” she told colleagues and players on retiring after 19 years as head coach at Pomona-Pitzer.
“I leave with everlasting friendships of players I have coached and all the experiences we shared. I grew up as a person because of my players.”
Lebedeff coached 77 All-Americans and earned five national Wilson Coach of the Year Awards (1990, 1992, 2001, 2008, 2016), and Wilson Coach of the Decade (1990-2000).
The International Tennis Hall of Fame praised her in 1999 with its Tennis Educational Merit Award. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association created an Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award, endowed by Billie Jean King. Finally, it welcomed her to its ITA Women’s Collegiate Hall of Fame, Class of 2018.