Michelle Fournier has been hired as assistant tennis coach for Iowa Central's nationally-ranked tennis program, head coach Jerry Thor announced today.

"Michelle certainly stands out with her energy, enthusiasm, and love for the game of tennis," Thor said. "She brings knowledge from learning from some of the best coaches in our sport, and experience competing for one of the NJCAA's elite programs. I'm excited to see the immediate impact she'll have on our program as she helps our players grow and develop on a daily basis."

Fournier comes to Iowa Central after completing her collegiate tennis career competing for nationally-ranked tennis teams at Mesa Community College, where she won NJCAA Regional I doubles and singles titles and finished Top 10 in singles at the NJCAA Women's DI National Championships. Following Mesa, she was one of the first tennis players to commit to Ottawa University's new program in Arizona, and was named captain of the founding women's team. Fournier earned degrees from Mesa Community College and completed her bachelor's degree in Sports Studies at Ottawa University.

"I am so thankful to Coach Thor and Athletic Director Kevin Twait for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime," Fournier said. "I am honored to be representing Iowa Central and all of their wonderful values. I may be a young coach but I have years of tennis playing experience. I have been around tennis my whole life and my passion for the game has only grown stronger. I started at Mesa Community College and then transferred to Ottawa University so I know what it's like to be a juco athlete and the steps it takes to get to the next level of collegiate playing and education. My goal is to empower every player that comes to play for Iowa Central Tennis and prepare them for the next chapter of their lives in college tennis and education."

What they're saying about Coach Fournier:

"I'm excited to see the next chapter in Coach Fournier's life. She has a way of connecting with people, great knowledge of the game, and actual collegiate experience. To me that is a recipe for a great coach. Under the guidance of Coach Thor, I believe her future is very bright" – Adam Cohen, Head Tennis Coach at University of Texas Tyler

"Michelle Fournier is a loud and energetic young coach, who has a big heart and wants all her players to develop personally and professionally. She comes through our academy and our college program, who has developed 14 national gold ball winners and a nationally-ranked junior college program. So it's in her blood to be a winner and to do things the right way" – Ali Borhani, Assistant Men's Tennis Coach at Boise State University

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