Northwestern University Athletics
Holden Named Assistant Women's Tennis Coach
10/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Oct. 22, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head women's tennis coach Claire Pollard has announced the addition of Jackie Holden to her coaching staff. Holden, who along with Pollard won the 1989 NCAA Doubles championship playing for Mississippi State, comes to Northwestern after a three-year stint as a national training coach at the Lawn Tennis Association, the governing body of tennis in Great Britain.
"We're really excited to have Jackie join our program this year," Pollard said. "Certainly I've known Jackie for a long time and there is nobody more qualified to help take our program to the next level. Her wealth of experience as both a player and coach will no doubt be a huge asset to our girls' development."
While coaching for the LTA, Holden was responsible for the training and development of Britain's performance players between the ages of 10 and 16. She also organized and implemented national training camps for the region's best players and served as an advisor to a multitude of coaches and club teams.
"This is a really exciting opportunity for me as a coach and I feel privileged to be able to become a part of the Northwestern family," Holden said. "Claire has done an incredible job building one of the nation's top programs here and I hope I can contribute to that tradition."
Holden, a native of Yorkshire, England, has also worked extensively in sports marketing, performing consulting work for such organizations as Mint Apparel Limited and the Rugby Football Union, in addition to her role as a promotions and public relations executive for the LTA. She was instrumental in programs such as the Play Tennis and Girls in Tennis campaigns and directed all aspects of the LTA's PR function, including tournament management and media training for players and coaches.
As a student-athlete at Mississippi State, Holden was a two-time All-American whose doubles championship with Pollard remains MSU's only individual women's tennis title. She was recognized as the Bulldogs' Female Athlete of the Year in 1989 when she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in fitness management.
