Aug. 16, 2010

Upon the retirement of coach great Ann Pittman, the Arizona State University women's tennis team needed a strong candidate to fill the shoes. They earned an ace with Sheila McInerney. On August 16, 1984, McInerney was hired as head coach of the Sun Devil women's tennis team.

In her 26 years as the Sun Devils' head coach, McInerney has led the Sun Devils to 18 NCAA Sweet Sixteen and eight quarterfinal in her tenure. Her squads have made the NCAA tournament in 25 out of her 26 seasons including 23 straight.

McInerney was named the ITA National Coach of the Year in 1997 after her team finished the season ranked seventh. She has been selected as the West Region Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year four times, in 1988, 1990, 2001 and 2008 and was recognized as Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 1997. She has led 18 Sun Devils to 31 All-American honors.

While McInerney's teams have excelled on the courts, they have found even more success in the classroom. The ASU women's tennis team has received a perfect APR score every year of its existence. McInerney's student-athletes have consistently been honored on the Pac-10 and ITA academic teams.

Not only has McInerney's presence been felt on the court and in the classroom, but it has also been strong in the Phoenix community. This past year, she named the Sports Leader honoree in the Maricopa YWCA Tribute to Women. In 2004, she earned the USTA/ITA Community Service Award for the Southwest section.

McInerney will kick off her 27th year as head coach on September 24 at the Cal Nike Invitational.