Oct. 11, 2006

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Lewis University women's tennis coach Jill Siegfried has resigned, effective immediately, to devote more attention to her full-time position as Lewis' Director of Student Recreation, Fitness and Wellness.

A search for a successor to Siegfried, who began her tenure in 2001, will begin soon.

"Coaching tennis at Lewis, my alma mater, has been a lot of fun," Siegfried said. "I've had the pleasure of associating with some outstanding young women, and we've enjoyed some success along the way.

"However, I feel it is in the University's best interests that I channel all my energy and concentration toward my duties as Director of Student Recreation, Fitness and Wellness," Siegfried added. "Lewis University's enrollment is at an all-time high, and we expect to continue growing in the future. The opportunities and challenges presented by that growth will require my full attention."

Siegfried concludes her Lewis coaching career with a 75-37 (.670) overall record and a 40-15 (.727) mark against Great Lakes Valley Conference opponents (including conference tournament matches). Her best season was the 2003-04 campaign when she guided the Flyers to records of 18-6 overall and 8-1 in the GLVC, second place at the GLVC Championship for a second consecutive year and a second successive NCAA Division II Championship tournament appearance.

A 1985 Lewis graduate, Siegfried played No. 1 and No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles during her four-year Flyer tennis career and served as team captain.

"Jill has done a very fine job leading our women's tennis program," Director of Athletics Dan Schumacher said. "Her teams were very competitive in the GLVC, qualified twice for the NCAA tournament, won two-thirds of their matches and consistently were one of our top teams academically. We appreciate her service."