April 28, 2016
ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) - UCF head women's tennis coach Stephanie Nickitas announced her decision to retire from the Knights' program on Thursday. She finished her career with a 105-80 overall record over nine seasons guiding the Knights.
"I would like to thank Mr. White and President Hitt for their support. And I would like to thank Keith Tribble for giving me the opportunity to work and coach at UCF over nine years ago," Nickitas said. "This decision has been weighing on me for some time now and was not an easy one to make. Tennis has been the central focus in my life for 35 years and it is now time to turn a page and take on new endeavors and passions in my life. I will be taking all of the amazing things that tennis has given me throughout my life and focusing on business opportunities outside of college athletics."
"We greatly appreciate the efforts of Coach Nickitas during her tenure at UCF," UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Danny White said. "Stephanie laid a solid foundation for this program to build upon as we move forward. We wish Stephanie all the best in her future endeavors."
Nickitas helped the Knights earn five-straight NCAA Public Recognition Awards (2012-16) after recording perfect 1000 Academic Progress Rate (1000) scores. She made excelling in the classroom a priority for the Knights. UCF earned six ITA All-Academic awards (2008, 2011-2015) and nine student-athletes received at least one ITA Scholar-Athlete honor during her tenure.
On the court, UCF recorded seven campaigns with 12-plus wins, resulting in .500-or-better records, during Nickitas' tenure. She guided the Knights to the No. 4 seed in the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship, which was the highest conference championship seed for the program since 2005.
Under Nickitas, the program was ranked as high as No. 64 in the ITA National Rankings during the 2013 season. The doubles pair of Elvira Serrot and Jenny Frisell finished the 2009 campaign ranked No. 59 in the nation and earned All-C-USA First Team honors. In 2014-15, freshman Monica Matias posted 26 victories, the second most in program history. Caroline Eberhart finished her career in 2016 with 70 singles wins, which ranks a tie for sixth on the all-time charts.
"I leave UCF with the fondest of memories and as difficult as it is to walk away, I am thrilled for what's ahead," Nickitas added. "The hardest part is saying goodbye to the team. I cherish all the relationships I have formed and am so proud of what these young ladies have accomplished, both on the court and in the classroom. They truly embody everything it means to be a UCF student-athlete. While it's hard to say goodbye, I am so excited for the future of this program with the opening of the USTA Tennis Center in Lake Nona and the vision of Mr. White and the entire Athletics Department. This team is poised for success next year and for many years to come."
Nickitas served a two-year appointment from 2011-13 as a regional representative on the ITA Division I Operating Committee and is also a member of the Division I Southeast Regional Committee.
Prior to her time in Orlando, Nickitas spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Duke University and three at Harvard University. She was named the ITA East Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2005.
Nickitas was a six-time All-American as a player at Florida from 1996-99 and was selected for the 1999 NCAA Top VII Award. She was a member of the Gators' 1996 and 1998 National Championship squads and posted 129 singles wins.
A national search to identify UCF's next head women's tennis coach will begin immediately.
Beginning this fall, the new 100-court United States Tennis Association National Campus at Lake Nona will be the new home for the UCF Tennis programs. Both the men's and women's programs will play home matches at the facility in the spring of 2017.
Nickitas at UCF
- Overall record: 105-80 (.567) in nine seasons at UCF
- C-USA - 13-5 (.722)
- American - 6-10 (.375)
- Five-straight perfect 1000 APR scores and NCAA Public Recognition Awards (2012-2016).
- Became the first team in school history to earn NCAA Public Recognition Award for APR excellence
- The Knights earned six ITA All-Academic Team awards (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015), while nine players received ITA Scholar-Athlete honors
- Eight All-AAC Academic Team representatives, 19 players earned C-USA Academic Honor Roll
- The program was ranked as high as No. 64 nationally in 2013