 
In her 11 seasons as head coach, Jenny Hilt-Costello has taken the 49er women's tennis program into the national elite. Reaching #18 in the national rankings acknowledged the arrival of Beach Tennis during a run that has included 8 consecutive winning seasons, 8 title matches at the Big West Conference Tournament and 8 consecutive nationally-ranked seasons. Hilt-Costello's 2008 squad continued their dominance (19-6, 10-0) of the Big West Conference claiming their 5th consecutive title and 6th in seven years while sweeping every league and conference tournament match. The continued success in 2008 was more impressive when noting a 50% turnover in the line up from the 2007 title team. This effort culminated in a clean sweep of the conference post season awards including being named Big West Conference Coach of the Year. During this unprecedented eight season run, the 2006 season stands out as the 49ers reached the Top 20 for the first time in program history. Posting a 22-5 record versus fourteen ranked opponents in 2006, the 49ers won their first NCAA tournament match while advancing to the round of 32 in the NCAA Championships before narrowly falling to the number two team in the nation. The #26 final national ranking was a 30 spot jump from the start of the season. The 49ers have compiled a 149-54 (.733) mark the past seven seasons, including a sparkling 75-10 (.882) against Big West Conference foes. The conference final appearance (8 consecutive), league championships (6), NCAA tournament qualifications (6) and Top 75 ranking (8 consecutive years) are all the only times in school history that each has been achieved even once. With a career coaching mark of 174-96 (.669) in eleven years, Hilt-Costello currently holds all the 49er women's tennis coaching records for single season and career wins and highest winning percentage. Hilt-Costello has been named the Big West Conference Coach of the Year five times (2001, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008). In 2004, she was named the West Region Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year award. During her tenure as head coach, 49er teams have featured 5 Big West Conference Players of the Year, 3 Freshman of the Year, 10 nationally ranked players and 30 Big West First Team singles and doubles honorees. Hilt-Costello has coached three singles and one doubles pair invitees to the NCAA Individual Championships. Hilt-Costello served from 2002-2006 on the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Committee. Hilt-Costello's student-athletes also succeed in the classroom having received five (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008) ITA National All-Academic Team Awards having over 3.40 team grade point averages. Beach Tennis teams have won 11 of 14 Long Beach State "High Team Grade Point Average" awards amongst the sixteen varsity programs since 2001. Hilt-Costello arrived at Long Beach State in the fall of 1995 as the assistant tennis coach, as well as teaching kinesiology classes. Hilt-Costello played collegiate tennis at UCLA, where she graduated with a B.A. in psychology. She played all four years at UCLA and was named Bruin team captain as a senior. She earned a career high national doubles ranking of No. 9, and national singles ranking of No. 35. While at UCLA, the Bruin teams advanced to NCAA Tournament play all four years, including 1991 when they reached the National Championship team final. Prior to her collegiate career, Hilt-Costello's junior career included advancing to the 1988 final of the USTA National Father-Daughter Doubles Tournament at the U.S. Open. Born in Madison, WI, and raised in Sacramento, CA, Jenny and her husband John own a home in Long Beach. |
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