Amanda Augustus
One of the most successful players in Cal women's tennis history, Amanda Augustus has quickly established herself as a force to be reckoned with. In just her first year at the helm for the Golden Bears, Augustus led Cal further into postseason play than any previous squad had ever gone; finishing No. 3 in the final ITA rankings as the NCAA runner-up.
Now entering her sixth season in Berkeley, Augustus has already made a return trip to the NCAA final and produced numerous ITA All-Americans. Under her guidance, Jana Juricova and Mari Andersson combined to claim the 2009 NCAA Doubles Championship. Juricova later captured Cal's first ITA National Indoor Championships singles title, and more recently became Cal's second NCAA singles champion. Juricova's impressive run in 2010-11 also made her the first Bear to garner the ITA's National Player of the Year Award, and the Honda Sports Award.
Augustus returned to her alma mater on July 20, 2007, to succeed her college coach, Jan Brogan, who announced her retirement, after 29 years at the helm. A four-time All-American at Cal from 1996-99, Augustus played professionally on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour for several years before turning her efforts to coaching. The Manhattan Beach, Calif. native served as head men's and women's tennis coach at Whittier College from 2004-05 and was an assistant at Michigan in 2005-06, before being elevated to the head position for the 2006-07 season.
While overseeing the Wolverine program, Augustus guided the team to a 17-8 overall record, 8-2 in the Big Ten for third place. Michigan placed second at the Big Ten team championships and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, completing its season with a No. 22 national ranking.
As a player for the Bears, Augustus earned All-Pac-10 honors in each of her four years, including first-team recognition as a sophomore, junior and senior. She teamed with Amy Jensen to capture the NCAA doubles title in both 1998 and 1999 and became the first tandem ever to win back-to-back doubles championships. In addition, Augustus and Francesca La'o were NCAA doubles quarterfinalists in 1996.
Augustus also earned an invitation to play in the NCAA singles tournament each of her four years at Cal, reaching the quarterfinals as a junior in 1998. During her career, she was ranked as high as fourth nationally in singles.
As a senior, Augustus received the Cissy Leary Sportsmanship Award for the ITA Northwest Region, as well as the Gladys Heldman Award for her outstanding combination of athletics and academics. In 1998, she was selected as the Daily Californian's Female Athlete of the Year.
After graduating with her degree in economics and a minor in business administration, Augustus turned her attention to the WTA tour and successfully earned invitations to the main draw of all four Grand Slam events - Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open. She achieved world rankings of No. 82 in doubles and No. 304 in singles, and won 20 professional tournaments.
Augustus currently resides in Emeryville, Calif.
