University of Minnesota Athletics
A Calm, Cool and Collected First Win
1/29/2018 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
By Tommy Sletten, Athletic Communications Student Intern
With a calm demeanor and a soft tone of voice, first year head coach Catrina Thompson leads by example as she advises her players from the sidelines: commanding respect from her cool and collected attitude.
Thompson led her team to three straight victories in her first spring season as head coach for the University of Minnesota women's tennis team.
"It felt pretty special to get that first victory," Thompson said of the teams win against Northern Iowa Friday. "To get a 7-0 where everyone contributed was even more so."
Thompson has also been able to earn her players trust in the few months she has been with the program, helping to develop her players skill sets both on and off the court.
Junior Caitlyn Merzbacher views the new coaching staff as people they can know and trust beyond the game, focusing on every student-athlete as people first.
"It's been really good to have them as coaches, they really care about us, not only as tennis players, but as people too," Merzbacher said. "Our team and them have earned trust and respect with each other, and I think trusting them has really translated to our play on the tennis court."
While Thompson is new to the head coaching job, she is nowhere near a rookie to high-level tennis competition.
Thompson was a three-time All-American during her tenure as a player at Notre Dame, playing doubles alongside her twin sister. Thompson was the team captain during her senior season, and set a program-record 104 victories during her career.
Thompson then made pit-stops as an assistant at Yale, Boise State, and finally her alma mater, Notre Dame, before taking the reins at Minnesota.
While an assistant at Notre Dame, Thompson not only helped develop all-conference athletes, but also helped lead the team to the Academic Progress Rate award, given to top academic programs in the nation.
Even though Thompson feels her experience has helped prepare her for these moments as head coach, she still feels that there are many new responsibilities to be had with her new position.
"I think the biggest difference is the amount of decisions you have to make as a head coach," Thompson said. "It's never easy to set the lineups because you see the hard work your athletes put in every day."
Players Mentioned
