Sept. 17, 2008
University of New Mexico women’s head tennis coach Kathy Kolankiewicz (kuh-LAN-ka-witz) has announced that she will retire at the end of the 2008-09 season. Taking over for Kolankiewicz on July 1, 2009, will be Roy Cañada (kin-YAH-da), who has served as Kolankiewicz’s assistant coach for the past 12 seasons.
Additionally, Loren Dils has been named the Director of the Lobo Tennis Club, a position Kolankiewicz held since 1999. Dils had been an assistant coach for the Lobo men’s tennis team since 1996.
Currently the longest tenured head coach at UNM, Kolankiewicz is entering her 24th season in charge of the women’s tennis program. She has a career record of 346-222 and has led New Mexico to the NCAA Championships seven times. UNM has advanced to at least the semifinals of the conference tournament every year of her career.
“I’m announcing my decision to retire from coaching at UNM at this time because I want to assure our recruits that the UNM women’s tennis program will continue its fine tradition,” said Kolankiewicz. “I feel very confident and content that I am leaving the program in good hands and there will be a lot of continuity.”
Kolankiewicz was named Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1997 and Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year in 2004.
New Mexico has been ranked in the top-60 each of the past 11 years, reaching a high of No. 21 three times, in 1996, ’99 and 2004.
Kolankiewicz is also responsible for coaching two of the greatest doubles teams in school history.
In 2004, the duo of Sandy Lukowski and Maja Kovacek became the first players in the history of Lobo women’s tennis to earn All-America honors after advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships. A year later, Kovacek paired with Iva Gersic to automatically earn All-America recognition after receiving a No. 4 seed before the 2005 NCAA Championships.
Kolankiewicz’s teams have really excelled academically. The New Mexico program has been named an ITA All-Academic squad for 12 straight years. Incredibly, the program has maintained above a 3.0 team grade-point-average for 32 consecutive semesters. Last year, women’s tennis had a 3.65 GPA for the 2007 fall semester and a 3.64 GPA in the 2008 spring term.
“I’m so proud of all my ex-players and current players and all that we have accomplished.” Kolankiewicz said. “Nothing gives me greater joy than seeing them enjoying and succeeding in life. The UNM women’s tennis team has had great stability, consistency, and success on the tennis court, in the classroom and in the Albuquerque community.”
Kolankiewicz received her doctorate in Sport Administration from UNM in 1996.
“We would certainly like to thank Kathy for her long-time service to the University of New Mexico,” said Tim Cass, UNM’s senior associate athletics director. “She has left a lasting impression on scores of student-athletes during her tenure as a Lobo.”
Cañada, a 1994 UNM graduate, has been Kolankiewicz’s top assistant since 1996. He was promoted to associate head coach before the 2007-08 season.
The Lobos have a 213-112 record since Cañada joined the program. In 2000 and 2005, Cañada was honored as the Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year.”I am very excited for this opportunity and I am very thankful and humbled by (Vice President for Athletics) Paul Krebs’ decision to put such confidence in me,” Cañada said. “Kathy has been a great person to work under these past 12 years. She has established a legacy of excellence in the classroom and on the tennis court. This year is about celebrating Kathy’s multiple accomplishments and finishing her career with a big bang.”
UNM will host the 2009 Mountain West Conference championships April 22-25, at the Albuquerque Tennis Center.
Cañada’s collegiate career at UNM was marked with numerous honors, including beingnamed All-American in doubles with partner Coulter Wright in 1994.
Cañada was a member of the Lobo team that won three straight WAC championships from 1992-94. He was also named All-WAC three times. Cañada graduated from UNM in 1994 with a bachelor’s a degree in communications.
“This is a well-deserved appointment for Roy,” said Cass. “He has been here a long time and paid his dues. And, it keeps the all-important continuity and stability within our program.”