Three Coaches Earn Contract Extensions
August 21, 2024 | Men's Tennis, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer
The University of Louisville Athletic Association Board of Directors approved contract extensions for three UofL head coaches, Vice-President/Director of Athletics Josh Heird announced.
The board approved five-year extensions through June 30, 2029, for men's tennis coach Rodrigo Da Silva and women's golf coach Whitney Young, while women's soccer coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes was extended through the 2026 season.
Beginning his sixth season leading the men's tennis program, da Silva has had the program ranked in the top 25 in each of the last two seasons and have seen seven players nationally ranked in singles and five in doubles in the top 85 during his tenure.Â
Last season, the doubles pair of Natan Rodrigues and Etienne Donnet reached the semifinals of the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Doubles Championship -- the furthest Louisville has gone in the doubles tournament. The duo finished the year with the best ranking for a doubles tandem in school history at No. 4 in the ITA Rankings and the two also garnered All-American accolades.
In 2023 Fabien Salle and Natan Rodrigues represented the Cardinals in doubles in the NCAA tournament and earning All-America distinction after reaching the quarterfinals and finishing the season at No. 9 in the ITA doubles rankings.\
The longest tenured head coach on staff, Ferguson-Dayes will be entering her 25Th season this fall as head coach for women's soccer program. The winningest coach in program history, Ferguson-Dayes has tallied 206 career victories.
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While she has enjoyed tremendous success on the field, she guided her team to an overall team grade point average of 3.74 in the fall and had eight of her student-athletes record perfect 4.0 GPAs in 2023, the highest team GPA on campus.
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Recently named as an inductee into the Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame, Young begins her sixth season this fall. Since taking over, Young has guided the program to a pair of NCAA Regional appearances and led a pair of individuals into NCAA tournament last season.
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Her teams have recorded three tournament victories and five top-three finishes during her tenure. Lauren Hartlage finished 12th at the 2021 NCAA Championships and earned All-American accolades.
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The board approved five-year extensions through June 30, 2029, for men's tennis coach Rodrigo Da Silva and women's golf coach Whitney Young, while women's soccer coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes was extended through the 2026 season.
Beginning his sixth season leading the men's tennis program, da Silva has had the program ranked in the top 25 in each of the last two seasons and have seen seven players nationally ranked in singles and five in doubles in the top 85 during his tenure.Â
Last season, the doubles pair of Natan Rodrigues and Etienne Donnet reached the semifinals of the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Doubles Championship -- the furthest Louisville has gone in the doubles tournament. The duo finished the year with the best ranking for a doubles tandem in school history at No. 4 in the ITA Rankings and the two also garnered All-American accolades.
In 2023 Fabien Salle and Natan Rodrigues represented the Cardinals in doubles in the NCAA tournament and earning All-America distinction after reaching the quarterfinals and finishing the season at No. 9 in the ITA doubles rankings.\
The longest tenured head coach on staff, Ferguson-Dayes will be entering her 25Th season this fall as head coach for women's soccer program. The winningest coach in program history, Ferguson-Dayes has tallied 206 career victories.
Â
While she has enjoyed tremendous success on the field, she guided her team to an overall team grade point average of 3.74 in the fall and had eight of her student-athletes record perfect 4.0 GPAs in 2023, the highest team GPA on campus.
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Recently named as an inductee into the Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame, Young begins her sixth season this fall. Since taking over, Young has guided the program to a pair of NCAA Regional appearances and led a pair of individuals into NCAA tournament last season.
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Her teams have recorded three tournament victories and five top-three finishes during her tenure. Lauren Hartlage finished 12th at the 2021 NCAA Championships and earned All-American accolades.
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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