HONOLULU, HI (May 7, 2013) – Hawai'i Pacific Women's Tennis Coach Lauren Conching was named the ITA/Wilson Women's Tennis Coach of the Year. Conching is currently preparing her team for the NCAA D II National Championships which begin tomorrow.

Conching earned her first West Region Coach of the Year a few days ago in just her second season as head coach. Her Sea Warriors went 19-2 and were ranked as high as third in the country, which is an HPU record. The Women's Tennis Team qualified for the NCAA Div. II National Championships by beating Grand Canyon in the regional playoff.

The signature win of the season came against then second-ranked BYU-Hawaii in Laie. The score was knotted at four with Celina Goetti behind 1-4 in the decisive third set. She caught fire and reeled off five straight games to complete the comeback. It was the first win over BYU-H in school history, and the Seasiders' first regular season loss since 1998.

As head coach, Conching has authored a 37-8 record with two trips to the national championships in as many seasons.

The Hawaii Kai native is no stranger the ITA national spotlight; in 2010 she was named the ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year.

The women's tennis team will play the New York Institute of Technology (23-3) in the round of 16 tomorrow at 4:00 PM PST in Surprise, AZ.

2013 NCAA Division II National Award Winners