Danielle McNamara has led the Yale women’s tennis program to four Ivy League Championships, four NCAA Tournament appearances and four ECAC Indoor Team Championships in her first seven seasons as the Bulldogs’ head coach. For her efforts in 2011, which included leading the Bulldogs to the first NCAA Tournament match win in school history, McNamara was named Wilson/ITA Northeast Region Coach of the Year, the first of two times to date. The 2011 season was also highlighted by an Ivy League Championship and the team’s third straight ECAC Indoor Team Championship. Yale’s ITA ranking climbed as high as No. 23 in the country, the highest it had been in the 30-year history of the ITA rankings. The Bulldogs also had five players earn All-Ivy League recognition and had a doubles team advance to the quarterfinals of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships in the fall for the first time in school history. McNamara was again named Wilson/ITA Northeast Region Coach of the Year in 2013, a season marked by her fourth Ivy League championship, the program's fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and All-Ivy honors for three singles players and one doubles pair.

A native of Massachusetts, McNamara joined the Yale coaching staff as an assistant coach in 2005 and was hired as the head coach in the summer of 2006. She brings a wealth of experience, having achieved great success as a collegiate player, touring professional, private instructor and coach.

McNamara has made a significant impact since arriving in New Haven, compiling a record of 110-41 overall and 49-8 vs. Ivy League opponents (42-7 in league matches). The Bulldogs have been particularly dominant at home, including undefeated marks in New Haven in 2010-11 (12-0), 2011-12 (10-0) and 2012-2013 (11-0). Indoors, the Bulldogs play at the award-winning Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center, which was the host site for the 2009 National Intercollegiate Indoor Tennis Championships and has also played host to numerous regional ITA and USTA events.

Under McNamara’s leadership the Bulldogs have been successful in the classroom, earning ITA All-Academic Team recognition in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. The team had five ITA Scholar Athlete selections last season. McNamara has also coached five Academic All-Ivy League selections.

The Bulldogs have also been active in the community under McNamara, and for her efforts she won the 2010 USTA/ITA Campus and Community Outreach Award for the New England region. Yale hosts an annual Campus Kids' Day for local children and organizes a food and clothing drive for the homeless. The team also takes part in New Haven Tennis Outreach, a youth mentorship program for students in grades 3-12 directed towards children from low-income families who otherwise would not have access to high-quality academic guidance or athletic instruction. 

In McNamara’s first year at the helm of the program, the Bulldogs finished second in the Ivy League with a 6-1 conference record.  It was the 2007-2008 season where the program made its first big jump under her leadership.  She guided the Bulldogs to an undefeated Ivy League season and an Ivy League Championship that year, which was the team’s fifth overall Ivy title and first since 1989.  Also in 2008, McNamara led the Bulldogs to their first NCAA Team Tournament appearance. 

The 2008-2009 campaign was another successful one on a national level with the team reaching a national ranking high of No. 41 and finishing the year at No. 50.  The Bulldogs finished the season 14-6 overall and 5-2 in the Ivy League, tying for third place. In 2009-10 Yale ended the season ranked No. 46 after going 16-6 overall. The Bulldogs again finished third in the league with a 5-2 mark. In both 2009 and 2010 Yale won the ECAC Indoor Team Championship.

McNamara has shown a tremendous ability to recruit the best and the brightest players on a national level, recruiting multiple blue chip and 5-star players according to the tennisrecruiting.net rankings. Her most recent recruiting class, the Yale Class of 2016, was ranked No. 8 in the country. That comes on the heels of Yale’s Class of 2015 being ranked No. 14 and the Class of 2014 being ranked No. 8. Two of her recruited players have competed in junior Grand Slams prior to coming to Yale (Wimbledon, US Open).

As a student-athlete at Michigan from 1996-2000 playing under her maiden name Danielle Lund, McNamara was the Big Ten Sportswoman of the Year (1999) and All-Big Ten (1998). She was the first player in Michigan history to participate in all three college national championships (All-American, National Indoors and the NCAA Championships). She was a two-time captain of the squad and earned the Michigan Athletic Department’s Academic Achievement Award and the Donald R. Shepherd endowed scholarship for athletic and academic success. 

In 2010 Michigan honored McNamara as one of the Wolverines’ “Leaders and Best in 50 States”. The Michigan athletics media relations office, in cooperation with the Bentley Historical Library, went through thousands of names of great Michigan athletes from all over the country to choose the best of the best from each state. McNamara was selected for honorable mention honors in her home state of Massachusetts.

As a freshman at Michigan, McNamara helped lead the team to its first ever Big Ten Championship (1997) and a program high national ranking of No. 16 (No. 1 in the Midwest Region). During her career she was nationally ranked as high as No. 8 in doubles and No. 28 in singles. She and doubles partner Brooke Hart ended the 1998 season ranked No. 25 in the country. Overall McNamara ended the year ranked in the top 26 in the Midwest Region for four straight seasons in doubles (No. 13 in 1997, No. 5 in 1998, No. 8 in 1999 and No. 15 in 2000) and three straight seasons in singles (No. 17 in 1998, No. 19 in 1999 and No. 26 in 2000).

McNamara also gained extensive NCAA experience playing for the Wolverines. As a freshman in 1997, she won her singles matches at No. 6 in straight sets to help Michigan to a 5-0 win over Central Florida in the Regional Quarterfinals and a 5-3 win over Miami (Fla.) in the Regional Semifinals. She then won in straight sets in singles again -- and was part of a winning doubles team at No. 2 -- as the Wolverines beat South Alabama 5-4 to win the Southeast Region. Michigan’s NCAA run ended with a loss to Florida, 5-0, in the next round.

In the 1998 NCAA Tournament, the Wolverines lost in the Regional Quarterfinals. McNamara and Hart, the second duo in school history to earn an NCAA Doubles Championship berth, lost to a team from William & Mary in the first round.

Through the 2010 season McNamara ranked ninth in career singles wins at Michigan with an overall record of 80-55. Her 29 singles wins in 1997, when she went 29-9, rank sixth on Michigan’s single-season list. 

Among her other accomplishments, McNamara won one gold and one bronze ball in national USTA events.  She was also selected to coach the USTA Girl’s 18 New England national team at the National Team Championships in 2008 and 2009.

McNamara is a current member of the ITA Board of Directors, Division I Operating Committee and the USTA New England Collegiate Committee. She was the co-chair of the 2009 ITA National Indoor Championships tournament committee and the chair of the 2009 ITA Northeast Regionals tournament committee. 

THE DANIELLE McNAMARA FILE

Born: November 10, 1978
Hometown: Leominster, Massachusetts
High School: Leominster High School
College: University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) 2001
Bachelor’s Degrees: Economics, Organizational Studies
Family: Married, husband Christian

Collegiate Coaching Experience:  Yale University (Head Coach), 2006-present.  Yale University (Assistant Coach), 2005-06.  Boston University (Volunteer Coach) 2004-05.  University of Michigan (Assistant Coach) 2001-02.

Professional Playing Experience: WTA Tour, 2002-2005

Collegiate Playing Experience: University of Michigan (1996-2000)

Collegiate Head Coaching Highlights at Yale:

• Two-time Wilson/ITA Northeast Region Coach of the Year (2011, 2013)
• 2010 USTA/ITA Campus and Community Outreach Award for the New England Region
• Two Ivy League Championships (2008, 2011), including a perfect 7-0 conference season (2008)
• First NCAA Team Tournament appearance in Yale history (2008)
• First NCAA Team Tournament match win in Yale history (2011)
• Four-time ECAC Indoor Team Champions (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
• First Yale doubles team to advance to the quarterfinals of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships in the fall (2010)
• 21 All-Ivy League Singles Selections (Seven First Team, 12 Second Team, two Honorable Mention)
• 10 All-Ivy League Doubles Selections (Three First Team, Seven Second Team)
• One Ivy League Player of the Year (2008)
• One Ivy League Rookie of the Year (2013)
• Five Academic All-Ivy League players
• Five ITA All-Academic teams (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)

Collegiate Playing Highlights at Michigan:

• All-Big Ten Player (1998)
• Big Ten Sportswoman of the Year (1999)
• Two-time team captain (1998-2000)
• Ranks ninth in career wins (80-55)
• Nationally ranked as high as No. 28 in singles and No. 8  in doubles
• First player in Michigan history to play in all three national championships (All-American, National Indoors, NCAA Championships)
• Member of Michigan’s first Big Ten Championship team (1997) 

updated May 16, 2013

Yale's All-Ivy League Players under Danielle McNamara

Yale's Academic All-Ivy League under Danielle McNamara
2006-07 (Spring): Christine Alford
2008-09 (Spring): Janet Kim
2009-10 (Fall): Sarah Lederhandler
2010-11 (Spring): Stevi Petrelli
2011-12 (Spring): Steph Kent

Yale's ITA Scholar Athletes under Danielle McNamara

2011-12 (5)
Vicky Brook
Sarah Guzick
Steph Kent
Blair Seideman
Hanna Yu

2010-11 (3)
Vicky Brook
Silia DeFilippis
Steph Kent

2009-10 (4)
Lindsay Clark
Silia DeFilippis
Sarah Lederhandler
Stevi Petrelli

2008-09 (2)
Silia DeFilippis
Sarah Lederhandler

2007-08 (3)
Janet Kim
Lilian Nguyen
Jessica Rhee

2006-07 (2)
Christine Alford
Sarah Lederhandler

Kirsten Flower joined the Yale women's tennis staff in the fall of 2012.

Flower played her collegiate tennis at Georgia Tech her freshman and sophomore years before transferring to Ohio State for her final two years of collegiate play.  In college, her singles ranking peaked at No. 18 while playing at the No. 1 spot.  She was a member of Georgia Tech teams that won the National Championship and the ITA National Indoor Championship. Among numerous other awards, Flower was the captain of the Ohio State team her senior year, was named to the All-Big Ten team twice and was also on the Academic All-Big Ten team. 

After college, Flowers joined the WTA Tour, which she played on for almost two years.  Participating in both international and domestic tournaments, Flower earned a high ranking of 505 in doubles and 996 in singles, and finished 2011 at 506 and 1068, respectively. 

In terms of coaching, Flower first taught tennis at Georgia Tech summer tennis camps in 2007.  She began work for Elysium Tennis, an Ohio tennis club, as a teaching professional in 2009, where she continued working up until being hired by Yale. 

Head Coach Danielle McNamara, on the newest addition to her staff, said that she is “so thrilled to have Kirsten join our coaching staff.  She brings a tremendous amount of experience as one of the best collegiate players in the country, as well as being a member of some incredibly successful teams.  Kirsten shares our programs values and will be an excellent role model and teacher for our players.  I look forward to continuing to build our program as one of the nation's best with the help of Kirsten.”

Flower has also won three national Father-Daughter championships with her father, Jim Flower. 

2008-09 Season: Academic All-Ivy League ... Unanimous first team All-Ivy League in singles ... Posted a 4-3 Ivy League record ... Outside of the Ivy League in the spring, went 9-4 with wins over both the No. 28 and No. 45 ranked singles players in the nation ... Went 10-4 in the fall and recorded another victory at the Cissie Leary Invitational ... Finished this season ranked No. 115 in the ITA national rankings.

2007-08 Season: Ivy League Player of the Year ... First team All-Ivy League in singles and doubles ... Finished with a 22-11 singles record ... completed fall with a 9-5 singles record...fall season was highlighted when Kim won the Cissie Leary Invitational by posting a 5-0 record in the tournament...finished spring season with a 13-6 record, including a 6-1 Ivy League record at No. 1 singles ... posted a 22-12 doubles record for the 2007-08 season...finished fall with a 10-5 doubles record...posted a 7-1 doubles record with partner Jessica Rhee during spring, including a 6-1 Ivy League record mostly at No. 1 doubles.

2006-2007 season: First team All-Ivy League in singles ... Finished with a 23-9 singles record for the 2006-07 season...went 10-3 in singles in the fall season including undefeated outing at Princeton Invite...also advanced to the finals of the Maryland Invite...finished spring season with a 13-6 record including a 5-2 mark against Ivy opponents. Elected first team All-Ivy for singles. Went 15-12 in doubles for 2006-07 season...finished spring season with a 9-9 doubles record including a 5-2 mark against Ivy opponents with Lindsey Dashiell at No. 3 doubles.

2005-2006 season: First team All-Ivy League in singles ... Advanced to finals of Yale Invitational in A singles with three wins before falling to Columbia's Milena Kachar in three sets ... also went 2-1 in A doubles with partner Aimee Kim at the Yale Invitational ... went 1-2 in A singles at Maryland Invitational ... lost in semifinals of A doubles of Maryland Invitational with Aimee Kim ... went 1-1 in B singles at USTA Invitational ... also went 2-1 in A1 doubles at USTA Invitational with Olivia Nix ... went 1-1 in singles at ITA East Regional ... won both of her singles matches at Brown Invitational in straight sets ... went 1-1 in doubles play with Lindsey Dashiell at Brown Invitational ... in spring 2006, posted a 7-3 record at No. 2 singles and a 6-2 record at No. 3 while going undefeated in the Ivy League... went 11-3 at No. 3 doubles (5-2 Ivy) with partner Lindsey Dashiell.

Prior to Yale: Was high school State Singles Champion as a freshman in New Jersey and led her team to a state semi-final appearance ... was named the New Jersey Player of the Year in 2001 ... has been ranked as high as No. 30 in the nation for the Girls 18 age division, winning a National Open and reaching the semi-finals of doubles at the Winter Super Nationals two years in a row.