VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. --- Antoaneta 'Toni' Bickford, Head Women's Tennis Coach at the College of William and Mary, has been named the new Director of Men's & Women's Tennis at Virginia Wesleyan University. Andrea Hoover-Erbig, Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, announced the appointment on campus Thursday.
She succeeds Marty Perry, who recently accepted the head women's tennis coach position at Vassar College. Perry has led the Marlin men's and women's program for six years.
"I want to thank VWU President, Dr. Miller, and Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Andrea Hoover-Erbig, for giving me the incredible opportunity to continue my coaching career at Virginia Wesleyan University," said Bickford. "VWU's commitment to both the men's and women's tennis programs, combined with the incredible facilities makes it a perfect place for any coach or student to succeed. I am looking forward to carrying on the diligent work of my predecessor, Marty Perry, and continuing to pursue athletic excellence while providing a superior experience for the student-athletes on and off the courts."
A native of Plovdiv, Bulgaria native, Bickford comes to Virginia Wesleyan with a plethora of tennis knowledge having played at the NCAA Division I level while also having coached at the Division I level for 18 years. Since 2018, Toni has been the Head Coach for the College of William & Mary women's tennis team. She helped coach the Tribe to an ITA Atlantic Regional rank of seventh at the end of 2021, a year that challenged traditional norms for college athletics due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While leading W&M, Toni was responsible for managing all daily program activities, including managing the budget, game day events, facility supervision, recruiting, fundraising, and cultivating alumni relationships. Toni directed the Tribe to two Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship Finals in 2019 and 2021, all while coaching seven players to All-Conference honors including a pair of CAA Freshmen of the Year honorees in 2019 and 2021. Additionally, William & Mary's women's tennis team earned three ITA Scholar Team Awards and boasted 19 individual ITA Scholar Athletes during Bickford's tenure.
Prior to joining the William & Mary Tennis coaching staff, Toni was the Old Dominion University Women's Tennis Associate Head Coach from 2011-2018. Her guidance helped the squad to three Division I national rankings in 2015, 2016, and 2018. Over that span, she assisted in coaching 24 All-Conference honorees including two C-USA Freshmen of the Year in 2015 and 2017. Toni was named the ITA Atlantic Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2018.
Toni attended the University of Iowa where she was a four year starter for the Hawkeyes. While at Iowa, Toni was a four-time Big Ten All-Conference honoree from 1999-2002 and was named the 1999 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. She qualified for the Division I NCAA tournament individually in doubles in 1999 and 2000, and went to the NCAA for singles in 2002. In 1999, Toni's team reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen and ended the year with a Top-25 ranking. Toni was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017 for her success as a Hawkeye student-athlete.
Prior to coming to the states for college, Toni was excelling on the national level in her home country of Bulgaria. She garnered 12 Junior Bulgarian National Titles in both singles and doubles between 1990 and 1997, and was on the Bulgarian Fed Cup Team in 1998. Toni held a world ranking of 650 in the Professional Women Tennis Association in January 1998.
--- This release is courtesy of the Virginia Wesleyan University athletic communications department. ---
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