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Now in her 23rd season as head coach and 26th overall at Boston University, Lesley Sheehan has guided the Terriers to 14 straight America East Championships and an undefeated America East record that encompasses 17 years. She has compiled an overall record of 280-163 with a .632 winning percentage.
The 2002 College Coach of the Year as selected by USA Tennis New England, Sheehan has done an outstanding job elevating the Terrier women's tennis program to an elite position in the Northeast region. During the last decade, the Terriers are 158-93 for a .629 winning percentage and have won 15 matches five times. In addition, BU has won 18 America East Championships, including the last 14, while making nine straight NCAA tournament appearances.
In 2006-07, the Terriers finished with an overall mark of 13-6, winning an unprecedented 14th-straight America East Championship title and making their ninth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. BU began the year by winning eight of its first 10 matches and finished the year with identical 4-0 sweeps of Stony Brook and UMBC en route to the conference title. The Terriers met No. 8 seed USC in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
During her tenure as head coach, the program has been well recognized on both the regional and national levels. During the course of the 1994-95 season, Boston University made its first appearance in the USTA National Rankings, climbing as high as 40th and finishing the year ranked fourth in the 94-team Eastern Region. In the 19-year history of the America East Championship, the Terriers have won the team title 18 times, including the last 14. Since 1989, the only year in which BU did not win the team title was in 1993, when the Terriers opted out of the AE tournament to compete in the Rolex tournament.
In recognition of the program's success, the league named Sheehan Coach of the Year in 1989, 1996, 1999 and 2004. In the spring of 2002, USA Tennis New England selected her as College Coach of the Year.
Her dedication and commitment to the program extends well beyond the confines of the court and the annual playing season. A full-time strength and conditioning coach directs the student-athletes through a regular weight-training program.
In addition, the student-athletes have access to a full-time academic coordinator and a quiet study center conveniently located within the University's athletic complex. Since the start of the 1994-95 school year, when the conference first began recognizing excellence in the classroom, 27 Terriers have received America East Academic Honor Roll recognition. One of her former players, Michelle Magid, was voted GTE/CoSIDA National Academic First Team All-America in 1998. In addition, Magid received the 1998 Tennis Magazine/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. It is presented to just one male and one female collegiate tennis player.
Sheehan's involvement with Terrier tennis dates back to the fall of 1980, when she commenced a four-year playing career, which is generally considered the finest in Boston University history. Ranked No. 1 in New England, No. 2 in the East, and among the top 40 nationally, Sheehan compiled an overall mark of 54-16.
During her junior year, she became the first Boston University women's tennis player to qualify for the NCAA tournament, where she posted a first-round win at Albuquerque, N.M. She closed out her stellar career by receiving an additional invitation to the 1984 NCAA tournament, which was held at UCLA.
A three-time team MVP and two-time captain, Sheehan received the Mildred Barnes Award, presented annually to the University's Outstanding Female Athlete and the Scarlet Key Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a BU undergraduate, during her senior year in 1984. Following graduation, Sheehan toured on the Pro Satellite Circuit, before returning to her alma mater. In 1992, she received the University's highest form of athletic recognition, induction into the Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Originally from Reading, Mass., Sheehan currently resides in Stoneham, Mass. with her daughter, Anna. |
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