Founding member and long-time Austin Tennis Academy coach Lucie Schmidhauser will continue her coaching career at Brown University, where she has accepted a role as the Women’s Assistant Coach beginning this fall.

Schmidhauser, a former NCAA National Champion, 2-time All-American and number 1 ranked player in college tennis at the University of Texas, is fulfilling a dream by entering the college-coaching ranks while returning to the world where she earned so much success as a player.

“I am excited to work with a small group of highly motivated student-athletes who are elite level players,” Lucie said. “I also look forward to having the opportunity to impact players during matches through on-court coaching.”

Schmidhauser joined the Austin Tennis Academy when it was first created, offering her passion to the community both on the court and through her Pilates instruction.

“No matter where she travels to, Coach Lucie Schmidhauser will always hold the position of founding coach of the Austin Tennis Academy,” ATA CEO Jack Newman said. “She has had a tremendous impact on our program through her coaching and through her influence on our curriculum.”

Before she was commonly referred to as Coach, Schmidhauser logged a Longhorn career that left her in the UT Athletics Women’s Hall of Honor.

“When I look back at my tennis playing career, the accomplishments I cherish the most are winning 2 team Conference Championships and 1 National Championship over any individual accomplishments I had,” Lucie said. “There’s nothing better than a group of individual players coming together and competing hard for a common goal.”

Brown, located in Providence, Rhode Island, is the seventh-oldest college in the United States and is a member of the prestigious Ivy League.

Once there, Lucie will lean on her mastery of the game’s technical fundamentals, her many years of experience coaching young women (and being a mother to a 17-year-old college freshman), her understanding of the mental side of the game as well as her Pilates teaching background. Her worldwide path as a junior, collegiate and professional player combined with her extensive coaching knowledge makes Lucie a valuable addition to the Brown coaching team.

“I’ve gained perspective on what type of players are able to successfully transition from junior tennis to college tennis,” Lucie said.

While she has passionately served the ATA community for years, Lucie will take with her some lasting lessons of her own.

“I’ve been fortunate to have colleagues who have helped me grow as a coach. In particular, Coach Doug Davis has been an incredible mentor for me to learn the technical aspects of the game and Coach Newman has taught me a lot about the mental and motivational aspects of the game, as well as how to build a culture of substance,” she said.

This mutual support is a major theme throughout the ATA community, and one Coach Newman works to maintain even amongst his all-star staff.

“Both our students and our coaches will miss Coach Lucie, but also understand that every coach needs to follow their own passions. Just as we encourage our students to set and work towards their goals, so too we encourage our coaches. We are excited for Coach Lucie to begin her college-coaching career and will be pulling for her to continue to grow and we all will follow her career with special interest.”

For Lucie, the look back on her time at ATA is all about the people.

“I’ve developed so many great relationships over the years with so many players, parents, coaches and staff at ATA. I will always cherish these relationships and memories, from the founding of ATA in 2002 through the present. It’s been a great ride!”

Good luck at Brown, Coach Lucie, and go Bears!!