Upcoming Event: Women's Tennis at Kitty Harrison Invitational on September 12, 2025
Women's Tennis
at Kitty Harrison Invitational
Women's Tennis
Leitner, Daniel
Daniel Leitner
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- daniel.leitner@duke.edu
Daniel Leitner joined the Duke women’s tennis program in October of 2022 and serves as an assistant coach. In July of 2025, Leitner was elevated to associate head coach.
Since arriving in Durham, Leitner has helped lead Duke to three NCAA Championship appearances, the ACC regular season title with a 12-0 ledger in 2025, 63 victories, 30 ACC wins and 39 victories against ranked opponents.
Leitner has played a key role in helping three Blue Devils – Chloe Beck, Irina Balus and Ellie Coleman – reach All-America status, while Shavit Kimchi was tabbed ACC and ITA Carolina Region Rookie of the Year in 2024. Seven Duke student-athletes have also earned All-ACC honors including Beck, Georgia Drummy, Emma Jackson, Ellie Coleman, Kimchi, Balus and Liv Hovde.
The ACC regular season crown in 2025 marked the first title since 2018 and registered Duke’s first undefeated regular season since 2012. It was the 22nd ACC regular season title in program history. Duke went on to advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship, while collecting a 24-4 overall ledger. The Blue Devils featured six different singles players ranked nationally this past season as well.
Leitner spent the previous five seasons with the Iowa women’s tennis program. After serving as the program coordinator beginning in 2017, Leitner was elevated to associate head coach in August of 2021.
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.
In addition to his coaching duties, Leitner was instrumental in all aspects of the program, including successfully coordinating the 2021 ITA Women’s Central Regional Championships in Iowa City, in which representatives from 29 different institutions participated.
Leitner assisted the Hawkeyes through a record-breaking season in 2020-21. Iowa finished with a 12-6 overall record and a 12-4 Big Ten ledger, 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. She was named ITA Rookie of the Year and Big Ten Conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Hawkeye in program history to earn conference Player of the Year honors. Noel was ranked as high as No. 13 nationally. Senior Elise van Heuvelen Treadwell became the first player in conference history to earn All-Big Ten first-team honors five times in a career and was awarded the Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award.
In the shortened 2020 campaign, Leitner helped lead the Hawkeyes to a 6-6 record. The Hawkeyes had their first win over a ranked opponent since 2014 defeating No. 50 Kansas State. The season was canceled by Big Ten Conference and NCAA on March 12 due to concerns about the coronavirus (COVID-19).
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.
In May 2017, Leitner graduated from MTSU with a Master of Science in Leisure and Sport Management. He played collegiality 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.
In 2023, Leitner was inducted into the South Alabama Athletics Hall of Fame.
Since arriving in Durham, Leitner has helped lead Duke to three NCAA Championship appearances, the ACC regular season title with a 12-0 ledger in 2025, 63 victories, 30 ACC wins and 39 victories against ranked opponents.
Leitner has played a key role in helping three Blue Devils – Chloe Beck, Irina Balus and Ellie Coleman – reach All-America status, while Shavit Kimchi was tabbed ACC and ITA Carolina Region Rookie of the Year in 2024. Seven Duke student-athletes have also earned All-ACC honors including Beck, Georgia Drummy, Emma Jackson, Ellie Coleman, Kimchi, Balus and Liv Hovde.
The ACC regular season crown in 2025 marked the first title since 2018 and registered Duke’s first undefeated regular season since 2012. It was the 22nd ACC regular season title in program history. Duke went on to advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship, while collecting a 24-4 overall ledger. The Blue Devils featured six different singles players ranked nationally this past season as well.
Leitner spent the previous five seasons with the Iowa women’s tennis program. After serving as the program coordinator beginning in 2017, Leitner was elevated to associate head coach in August of 2021.
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.
In addition to his coaching duties, Leitner was instrumental in all aspects of the program, including successfully coordinating the 2021 ITA Women’s Central Regional Championships in Iowa City, in which representatives from 29 different institutions participated.
Leitner assisted the Hawkeyes through a record-breaking season in 2020-21. Iowa finished with a 12-6 overall record and a 12-4 Big Ten ledger, 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. She was named ITA Rookie of the Year and Big Ten Conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Hawkeye in program history to earn conference Player of the Year honors. Noel was ranked as high as No. 13 nationally. Senior Elise van Heuvelen Treadwell became the first player in conference history to earn All-Big Ten first-team honors five times in a career and was awarded the Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award.
In the shortened 2020 campaign, Leitner helped lead the Hawkeyes to a 6-6 record. The Hawkeyes had their first win over a ranked opponent since 2014 defeating No. 50 Kansas State. The season was canceled by Big Ten Conference and NCAA on March 12 due to concerns about the coronavirus (COVID-19).
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.
In May 2017, Leitner graduated from MTSU with a Master of Science in Leisure and Sport Management. He played collegiality 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.
In 2023, Leitner was inducted into the South Alabama Athletics Hall of Fame.
Eleana Yu Post Match vs. Auburn
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Jame Ashworth Post Match vs. Auburn
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Ellie Coleman Post Match vs. FAU
Saturday, May 03
Jamie Ashworth Post Match vs. FAU
Saturday, May 03
