Jenny Mainz Hometown: San Antonio, Texas High School: Winston Churchill High School Position: Head Coach Birthdate: 11/01/1968

For Jenny Mainz, the hard work and desire to succeed she puts forth as Alabama's women's tennis coach began long before she took the job in 1998--it started during her own playing days at the University of Houston, where her success on the court was matched only by her All- American accolades in the classroom.

Mainz, once ranked in the top ten nationally in doubles, was a three-year team captain for the Cougars and a two-time All-Southwest Conference selection, garnering numerous accolades for her dedication to the game of tennis on the court. Off the court, however, is where she really shined, earning GTE Academic All-American status and Dean's List honors while a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society.

Perhaps it would be reasonable if Mainz, as a head coach in one of the nation's most grueling tennis conferences, focused strictly on improving only the development of her players on the court in order to keep pace with some of the nation's toughest competition. But the San Antonio native has managed to do just that while continuing to stress the off-the-court responsibilities of being a student-athlete.

While Mainz has been the only coach in Alabama history to take the Tide to six consecutive NCAA tournaments and is only the second coach to record more than 100 career wins at the Capstone, her teams have additionally excelled in the classroom, earning the University's highest GPA award among Alabama's varsity sports six times since 2002, including the 2008 title, which the team earned with a combined overall 3.51 grade point average.

On the court, Mainz's coaching resume is just as strong. Since taking over the program in 1998, she has coached Alabama to the school's first and second SEC Western Division Championships, which the Tide captured in 2003 and 2006. In 2004, she led Alabama to its fourth-straight winning season - an accomplishment that had not been done at Alabama in 11 years - capturing six of that year's nine matches decided by one point. For the former kinesiology major, it all adds up to a winning formula: teamwork plus dedication, plus a little hard work, equals success.

"I've been fortunate to have teams that understand the importance of a team concept," Mainz said. "We're a family and we play that way by supporting each other all the time."