HOLLINS, Va. --- Hollins University Director of Athletics, Myra Sims, recently announced the hiring of Gretchen Rush as the new head tennis coach. 

"Gretchen brings a lifetime of high level tennis experience to the Hollins program," Sims said. "Her playing career speaks for itself, and her previous coaching stints in high level programs gives her immense credibility with current and prospective student-athletes. I am proud to bring someone with Gretchen's tennis background to Hollins. But equally as important as her tennis credentials was her emphasis on development of the whole person and not just the student-athlete's tennis skills. Her philosophy of developing confidence both on and off the court, and helping student-athletes learn to solve problems on their own, is really consistent with the approach at Hollins. Even with her vast experience and accomplishments, she is truly committed to her own continued growth and development as a coach and leader. She is going to be a great example and a strong leader for our tennis student-athletes, as well as for colleagues and everyone in our Hollins community. I am thrilled to bring Gretchen Rush to Hollins!"

Rush had a standout collegiate career, playing at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. During her time with the Tigers, which was formerly a Division I program, she was a four-time All-American, an NCAA Division I doubles champion, two time finalist in NCAA singles and doubles and in her senior year, won the Broderick Award (now the Honda Sports Award) as the nation's top collegiate tennis player. During that time, Trinity also made four Final Four team appearances, 

After leaving Trinity, Rush played on the Women's Tennis Association's professional tour. She amassed 191 singles wins on the WTA tour, including singles appearances in the quarterfinals of the US Open (1982), the French Open (1983) and Wimbledon (1989). As a doubles competitor, she picked up 193 wins, made an appearance in the quarterfinals of the 1988 Australian Open and three appearances in the Wimbledon quarterfinals (1986, 1991 and 1992). And in 1988, along with partner Kelly Jones, Rush was a finalist in mixed doubles. 

She represented the United States in the 1984 Olympic Games, held in Los Angeles, where she lost to eventual semifinalist, Catherine Tanvier, of France. During her time on the WTA circuit, Rush reached an individual high ranking of 13th and a doubles ranking of 16th. She retired from professional tennis in 1992 and was inducted into the Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Hall of Fame in 2016. 

Since retiring, Rush has held multiple coaching positions, both on the high school and collegiate level. She was an assistant at San Diego State University (1993-1994), the head coach at Our Lady of Peace High School (1995-1997) and head coach at San Diego City College (2008-2013), Claremont-Mudd Scripps (2013-2015) and, most recently, was the head coach at her alma mater, Trinity (2015-2020). 

Her City College teams won the PCC Conference Team Sportsmanship Award in 2009, 2010, 2012. At CMS, she guided the Athenas to a 53-10 overall record and to two Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships.

CMS placed fourth at the 2013 NCAA Championships after finishing the regular season 28-0, an NCAA record, and advanced to the quarterfinals in 2014. 

In her five seasons at the helm at Trinity, the Tigers improved from #32 to #14 in three years, won five conference championships and made five NCAA regional appearances. The team also boasted five NCAA All-Americans and was named All-Academic All-Americans team all five seasons. 

In addition to her coaching skills on the court, Rush created and implemented the Tiger Kids Club and Ball recycling programs at Trinity. She was also an experienced fundraiser at Trinity and San Diego City College, where she was instrumental  in improving alumni relations, team recognition and facility improvements.  Prior to her coaching and teaching Career,  she served as the International Tennis Director for the Special Olympics.

"I am pumped to coach the Hollins tennis team, to be part of the Hollins Athletic Department and get ALL the students at Hollins fired up about tennis!" Rush said "I can't wait to get to Hollins in August and become part of the rich Hollins history."

--- This release is courtesy of the Hollins University sports information department. ---
https://hollinssports.com