Andrea Pontius will head into her 11th year as head coach of the Hartwick women's tennis program in the Fall of 2009. She will also enter her 11th year as head coach of the men's program in Spring 2010.
This past year, Pontius guided the Hartwick men's team to an 8-9 overall record, a 5-3 mark in the Empire 8 Conference, and the team's first appearance in the conference semifinals since 2004. Under her tutelage, freshman Jeff Boyd was named the E8 Rookie of the Year and both Boyd and classmate Marcelo Navarro earned second team all-Empire 8 honors. In the fall, she also led senior Anne Neely, and returning players Betsy Breaznell and Jen Lin to all-conference recognition.
In the fall of 2007, the women's team went 5-9 under her direction and placed two members, Breaznell and Lin, on the Empire 8 second team. In the spring of 2008, Pontius led the Hawks' men's team to five victories.
In 2006-07, Pontius guided the women's program to a 7-9 mark overall and watched freshman Breaznell garner first team all-Empire 8 accolades. Her men's team finished the spring with a 4-9 mark, as Dan Riviello was named a second-team all-league selection.
She was named 2004 Empire 8 Conference Coach of the Year after leading the men's team to a third-place finish at the conference tournament last season. Her top singles player, Vladimir Vecher, earned Empire 8 Player of the Year honors.
On the women's side, Hartwick received a bid to compete in the 2004 New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament. Pontius led the team to a 10-7 record and five of her players were named to the 2004 Empire 8 All-Conference Team. In addition, the Hawks had academic success and†earned the Team GPA Award from the Empire 8 Conference. The team academic award is presented to all member teams with a 3.2 GPA or higher.
Prior to accepting the head coaching position at Hartwick, Pontius coached the Oneonta High School tennis team to the Susquenango Association championship and a fourth-place finish at the sectional tournament in 1999.
Pontius was a 12-year member of the United States Tennis Association and was the USTA team captain for two years. In 1996, she was the USTA local and state team tennis league singles winner, and she has won numerous regional tournaments.
She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. She worked as an English teacher for five years after graduating and came to Hartwick as an admissions counselor in 1995.
