After leading the Lobos to their first Mountain West crown in April, Perkins Jasper has announced her decision to step down as head coach and become the new chief operating officer of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Perkins Jasper turned the women’s tennis program around quickly. Between the three seasons before Perkins Jasper became head coach, the team won just 17 matches. During Perkins Jasper’s three-year tenure the Lobos went 40-33 and won their first ever Mountain West title.
UNM Athletics Chief Operations Officer Tim Cass named associate coach Kelcy McKenna the new head coach of women’s tennis. McKenna is just the fifth head coach in the program’s history.
“Our program is in great hands with Kelcy McKenna as our head coach,” Cass said in a release. “Kelcy has been an integral part of our team from coaching to recruiting to scheduling. She was soon to be a Division I head coach, as several schools have been interested in her. I think we are very fortunate to have Kelcy lead our program, and I feel she will continue our progress.”
McKenna has spent the past three years at UNM, two as associate head coach. She will take over a team that went 16-10 and won the Mountain West title with a 4-2 win over Wyoming.
Prior to coming to UNM, McKenna was an assistant coach at Marshall University. She was an All-American during her playing days at Arizona State, and was ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation in singles competition.
“It is a real privilege to be named the new head women’s tennis coach at the University of New Mexico,” McKenna said in a release. “I am incredibly thankful to Tim Cass and the entire Lobo Athletics family for affording me this opportunity. Erica Perkins Jasper has created a fantastic foundation for Lobo Women’s Tennis. I could not be more excited to continue working with our new and returning players here at UNM.”
Tennis center earns award
The McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium was named one of 13 winners by UTSA in its 34th annual USTA Facility Awards Program this past week.
The award is given to venues that excel in construction or renovation of tennis facilities. The McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium will be honored in September at the UTSA Semi-annual Meeting in New York.
“Receiving this recognition is a tremendous honor for our program and for our facility,” Cass said in a release. “We are thankful for the vision of Ian and Sonnet McKinnon and so many others who participated in supporting this vision that has allowed us to build such a wonderful facility that will help grow the game of tennis.”
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The McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium was the only venue to be honored in the Educational Institution category.
UNM held both the men’s and women’s Mountain West tournaments earlier this year at the McKinnon Family Center. The women won their first ever conference title at the event.
Thomas Romero-Salas is the sports editor of the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @ThomasRomeros.
