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Ashworth Adds Daniel Leitner as Assistant Coach
10/7/2022 3:47:00 PM | Women's Tennis
DURHAM – Duke women's tennis head coach Jamie Ashworth has announced the addition of Daniel Leitner as assistant coach.
Leitner arrives at Duke after spending the last five seasons at Iowa where he helped the Hawkeyes make exceptional strides for the program.
"What a tremendous opportunity for us to be able to have someone like Danny here and be a part of the Duke tennis family," said Ashworth. "Danny comes highly recommended from coaches, officials and from others in the tennis industry. We are excited to have his knowledge and his expertise and can't wait to get started. He will be a tremendous addition for us and for our program. The girls will benefit unbelievably from him out on the court."
Prior to the 2021-22 campaign with Iowa, Leitner was elevated to associate coach, after spending the previous four seasons as program coordinator.
"I am thrilled to be at Duke and excited to get going," said Leitner. "The Duke program speaks for itself and I am just excited to continue what Jamie has done here, hopefully continue to build on the success and see how far we can go."
In 2021-22, Leitner helped Iowa sophomore Alexa Noel ascend as high as No. 3 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's national rankings, the highest ranking by a student-athlete in program history. The Summit, New Jersey, native won seven matches this fall, including notching a win over both the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked players in the nation. Noel was an ITA All-American Championships Finalist and an ITA National Fall Championships Semifinalist.
In addition to his coaching duties, Leitner was instrumental in all aspects of the program at Iowa, including successfully coordinating the 2021 ITA Women's Central Regional Championships in Iowa City, in which representatives from 29 different institutions participated.
"For me, I would say I'm most comfortable on the court and helping the young ladies develop," said Leitner. "I am big on building relationships and helping each student-athlete get the most out of themselves. And by virtue of doing that, trying to help the team be successful."
In 2021, Leitner helped lead the Hawkeyes through a record-breaking season. Iowa finished 2021 with a 12-6 overall record and a 12-4 Big Ten record, the best conference record in program history. Iowa ended its 2021 season ranked No. 41 in the final ITA rankings, and reached as high as No. 37 on the season, the highest team ranking since 2011. Noel, a freshman, was selected to compete at the 2021 NCAA Women's Tennis Championships in Orlando, Florida. Noel earned the Big Ten's automatic qualifier, becoming the third player in program history to make the singles draw and the first All-American in program history. Noel ended the season 24-1 while competing at the No. 1 singles position.
Leitner joined the Hawkeyes from Middle Tennessee State, where he served as an assistant coach on the MTSU men's team for two seasons.
While at Middle Tennessee State, Leitner helped the Blue Raiders reach as high as No. 49 in the country. Nine of his players earned all-conference recognition and the team won the MTSU Director's Cup Award for community service working with local schools. In 2016, MTSU secured the No. 25 recruiting class in the nation.
Leitner graduated from MTSU with a Master of Science in Leisure and Sport Management in May 2017. He played collegiately at South Alabama before graduating in 2015. As a student-athlete, he was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015. He was a four-time first team all-conference honoree and reached as high as No. 49 in the national singles rankings.
As a senior in 2015, he was named South Alabama Male Student-Athlete of the Year and the regional winner of the ITA Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sportsmanship and Leadership Award.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's tennis, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWTEN".
#GoDuke
Leitner arrives at Duke after spending the last five seasons at Iowa where he helped the Hawkeyes make exceptional strides for the program.
"What a tremendous opportunity for us to be able to have someone like Danny here and be a part of the Duke tennis family," said Ashworth. "Danny comes highly recommended from coaches, officials and from others in the tennis industry. We are excited to have his knowledge and his expertise and can't wait to get started. He will be a tremendous addition for us and for our program. The girls will benefit unbelievably from him out on the court."
Prior to the 2021-22 campaign with Iowa, Leitner was elevated to associate coach, after spending the previous four seasons as program coordinator.
"I am thrilled to be at Duke and excited to get going," said Leitner. "The Duke program speaks for itself and I am just excited to continue what Jamie has done here, hopefully continue to build on the success and see how far we can go."
In 2021-22, Leitner helped Iowa sophomore Alexa Noel ascend as high as No. 3 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's national rankings, the highest ranking by a student-athlete in program history. The Summit, New Jersey, native won seven matches this fall, including notching a win over both the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked players in the nation. Noel was an ITA All-American Championships Finalist and an ITA National Fall Championships Semifinalist.
In addition to his coaching duties, Leitner was instrumental in all aspects of the program at Iowa, including successfully coordinating the 2021 ITA Women's Central Regional Championships in Iowa City, in which representatives from 29 different institutions participated.
"For me, I would say I'm most comfortable on the court and helping the young ladies develop," said Leitner. "I am big on building relationships and helping each student-athlete get the most out of themselves. And by virtue of doing that, trying to help the team be successful."
In 2021, Leitner helped lead the Hawkeyes through a record-breaking season. Iowa finished 2021 with a 12-6 overall record and a 12-4 Big Ten record, the best conference record in program history. Iowa ended its 2021 season ranked No. 41 in the final ITA rankings, and reached as high as No. 37 on the season, the highest team ranking since 2011. Noel, a freshman, was selected to compete at the 2021 NCAA Women's Tennis Championships in Orlando, Florida. Noel earned the Big Ten's automatic qualifier, becoming the third player in program history to make the singles draw and the first All-American in program history. Noel ended the season 24-1 while competing at the No. 1 singles position.
Leitner joined the Hawkeyes from Middle Tennessee State, where he served as an assistant coach on the MTSU men's team for two seasons.
While at Middle Tennessee State, Leitner helped the Blue Raiders reach as high as No. 49 in the country. Nine of his players earned all-conference recognition and the team won the MTSU Director's Cup Award for community service working with local schools. In 2016, MTSU secured the No. 25 recruiting class in the nation.
Leitner graduated from MTSU with a Master of Science in Leisure and Sport Management in May 2017. He played collegiately at South Alabama before graduating in 2015. As a student-athlete, he was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015. He was a four-time first team all-conference honoree and reached as high as No. 49 in the national singles rankings.
As a senior in 2015, he was named South Alabama Male Student-Athlete of the Year and the regional winner of the ITA Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sportsmanship and Leadership Award.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's tennis, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWTEN".
#GoDuke
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