Augustus Replaces Propstra as U-M Assistant Coach
6/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan head women's tennis coach Bitsy Ritt announced today (Tuesday, June 28) the hiring of Amanda Augustus as the program's new assistant coach. Augustus, a former standout at the University of California, replaces Katy Propstra, who was an assistant to Ritt for the past two seasons. Augustus served as head coach of the men's and women's tennis programs at Whittier (Calif.) College last season following a successful six-year career as a professional player on the WTA circuit.
"I am very pleased that Amanda Augustus will join our program," said Ritt. "Her experience as a world-class playing professional will contribute greatly to the development of our student-athletes. In addition, Amanda's outstanding achievements as a collegiate player at Cal reflect her commitment to the academic and athletic excellence we value at Michigan."
A varsity letterwinner for the Golden Bears from 1996-99, Augustus was a two-time NCAA doubles champion (1998-99) and earned All-America honors in each of her four seasons. During her junior campaign, Augustus advanced to the quarterfinal round at the NCAA Singles Championship. She was named to the All-Pacific-10 Conference first team her final three years and achieved career-high national rankings of No. 1 in doubles and No. 4 in singles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Augustus served as a team captain for three seasons, leading Cal to NCAA Championship appearances each year. As a senior, Augustus guided the Bears to the NCAA semifinals and a program-best No. 4 final ITA ranking.
"I am excited to take advantage of this opportunity to come to Michigan and contribute to the amazing athletic tradition that exists here," said Augustus. "I strongly identify with the philosophy of the program and I look forward to learning from Bitsy and helping the team contend for national titles on an annual basis."
During her WTA stint, Augustus achieved a career-best world ranking of No. 82 and captured 20 event titles as a professional. She competed in the main draw of all four Grand Slam events, most recently the 2004 Wimbledon Championships. She reached the second round in both the French Open and U.S. Open, and was a semifinalist at the Bank of West Classic.
Augustus received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics with a minor in business administration from California in 1999. She is enrolled in the MBA program at U-M's Stephen M. Ross School of Business for the fall semester.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
