ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year
Magda Stepnik from Smith College has been named the 2022 ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year.
In just her second year at Smith College, Stepnik has helped the team achieve their best single season in over a dozen years.
This comes after all six of the student-athletes in the Smith College lineup were all competing in their first collegiate season and without her drive and patience would have been a much different season.
Stepnik is the 2021-2022 recipient of Smith Athletic’s Aspire Higher Award - which goes to an assistant coach who demonstrates excellence in coaching, unparalleled sportsmanship, a passion for sport, and a confidence that is contagious.
Off the court, Stepnik continues to contribute to tennis and athletics. She is currently completing a thesis titled “The Influence of Grip Positioning on Muscle Activation Patterns in a Tennis Forehand.” Her thesis marks the completion of her master's of exercise and sports studies specializing in collegiate coaching which she will graduate with this May.
Stepnik started at Smith in the fall of 2020 as an assistant tennis coach while students were entirely remote. Furthermore, Stepnik was in Poland working remotely because she was unable to enter the US at the time due to travel and visa restrictions. Even with these challenges, including a significant time difference, Magda became a pillar of support for her student-athletes, being available for individual meetings even if it was 1 am her time.
She also provided our student-athletes with virtual coaching via video analysis, individual practice planning, and one-on-one follow-up from our student-athletes practice sessions that they were doing independently when studying from home. All of this is to say that from the moment Magda joined our staff, she created connections and taught our student-athletes that tennis is so much more than the sport - it is about community, learning valuable life skills like resilience and patience, and how to show support for those you care about even in the most challenging of times.
A Letter From Head Coach Caitlyn Lawrence
Magda, congratulations on being named the ITA Assistant Coach of the Year.
This is such a well-deserved honor that only marks the beginning of the incredible journey you are going to have as a coach. You have had an immeasurable impact on our program.
The ability you have to connect and collaborate with student-athletes at all skill and commitment levels is unmatched.