DURHAM – Duke women’s tennis head coach Jamie Ashworth has announced the addition of Daniel Lei as assistant coach.
Leitner arrives at Duke after spending the last five seasons at Iowa where he helped the Hawkeyes make exceptional strides for the program.
“What a tremendous opportunity for us to be able to have someone like Danny here and be a part of the Duke tennis family,” said Ashworth. “Danny comes highly recommended from coaches, officials and from others in the tennis industry. We are excited to have his knowledge and his expertise and can’t wait to get started. He will be a tremendous addition for us and for our program. The girls will benefit unbelievably from him out on the court.”
Prior to the 2021-22 campaign with Iowa, Leitner was elevated to associate coach, after spending the previous four seasons as program coordinator.
“I am thrilled to be at Duke and excited to get going,” said Leitner. “The Duke program speaks for itself and I am just excited to continue what Jamie has done here, hopefully continue to build on the success and see how far we can go.”
In 2021-22, Leitner helped Iowa sophomore Alexa Noel ascend as high as No. 3 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s national rankings, the highest ranking by a student-athlete in program history. The Summit, New Jersey, native won seven matches this fall, including notching a win over both the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked players in the nation. Noel was an ITA All-American Championships Finalist and an ITA National Fall Championships Semifinalist.
In addition to his coaching duties, Leitner was instrumental in all aspects of the program at Iowa, including successfully coordinating the 2021 ITA Women’s Central Regional Championships in Iowa City, in which representatives from 29 different institutions participated.
“For me, I would say I’m most comfortable on the court and helping the young ladies develop,” said Leitner. “I am big on building relationships and helping each student-athlete get the most out of themselves. And by virtue of doing that, trying to help the team be successful.”
In 2021, Leitner helped lead the Hawkeyes through a record-breaking season. Iowa finished 2021 with a 12-6 overall record and a 12-4 Big Ten record, the best conference record in program history. Iowa ended its 2021 season ranked No. 41 in the final ITA…
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