Maja Kovacek
In five seasons as the University of Oregon assistant women’s tennis coach, Maja Kovacek has helped UO make strides up the national rankings.
Kovacek has helped the Ducks to dual match wins over eight ranked opponents in the last five years, including UO’s 4-3 win over No. 20 Washington during the 2010-11 campaign. The victory was monumental for the Ducks, vaulting them from being unranked to No. 54 nationally in mid March.
Throughout the last few seasons, Kovacek has shown that her considerable ability on the playing court could transfer seamlessly into the coaching ranks.
With her alma mater, New Mexico, as an undergraduate assistant coach before coming to Oregon, she worked with all areas of the program during the 2006-07 season, including practicing and conditioning.
Kovacek is equally respected in national circles as a top collegiate player. At the Albuquerque, N.M. institution, she was a two-time All-American in 2004 and ’06 and a three-year NCAA qualifier (2004, ’05 and ’06). In the national rankings, she climbed as high as second in doubles and 20th in singles.
She was tabbed Mountain West Conference (MWC) Player of the Year in 2004 and ’05 and its Student-Athlete of the Year in 2006. She was also selected as one of 30 national NCAA Woman of the Year nominees in 2006, and was team captain of the Lobos her senior season.
In the classroom, she was equally decorated as an MWC Scholar Athlete Award winner in 2004, ’05 and ’06, an ITA Academic All-American, ITA Scholar Athlete honoree and ESPN Academic All-District recipient. Away from the court, she was a Habitat for Humanity volunteer and a treasurer for the Women Athletes in Medicine and Health Sciences organization.
Prior to college, she played on the WTA circuit in 2001 and 2002. Then again played in ’05 after college, and her highest world ranking was No. 1062.
The Croatia native graduated from UNM with Bachelor of Arts degrees in psychology and sociology in 2006.
