California women’s tennis alumna Stephanie Kusano Wallace – a former All-American who led the Golden Bears to the 2008 NCAA final – has returned to Berkeley this season to bolster the Bears’ staff as an assistant coach.
The erstwhile Cal star joins a staff consisting entirely of Cal alumni, including head coach Amanda Augustus (Cal ’99/Cal ’15) and assistant coach Sean Hill (BYU’20/Cal ’22).
With a decorated playing career at Cal from 2004-08, Kusano Wallace helped lead the program to the NCAA Final Four in 2007 and, as co-captain the following year, led the Bears to a national runner-up finish at the NCAA Championship. In that 2007-08 season, Kusano Wallace received All-Pac-10 Second-Team honors and was named a doubles All-American. A two-time Pac-10 All-Academic Team member, she graduated from Cal in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in legal studies.
“Amanda and I share a drive for excellence in sport, in academics, and most importantly, in character,” Kusano Wallace said. “I am grateful to Amanda and the entire Cal Athletics department for the opportunity to continue building the strong legacy, both on and off the court.”
Following graduation, Kusano Wallace went on to combine her passion for sport with teaching and mentorship, forming a career that included strategic planning and collaborating with community partners for the Andy Roddick Foundation. Never straying far from the courts, Kusano Wallace continued to coach, developing junior players, and eventually returned to the collegiate landscape as an assistant coach at Brown. Most recently, Kusano Wallace was the Director of Tennis at Meadowood Napa Valley and a contributor to USTA Northern California’s Player Development programs.
Building upon her many accomplishments from junior and college tennis, Kusano Wallace has continued her successful playing career into her adulthood. Kusano Wallace has collected seven USTA National gold balls and two silver balls, and she was ranked as the No. 1 Women’s 35 player in the U.S. in 2022. In 2023, Kusano Wallace was selected to represent Team USA at the ITF Masters 35 World Team Championships and the USIC at the Ted Avory Cup. She returned to the ITF Masters 35 World Team Championships in 2024 as captain for Team USA, leading the U.S. to a fifth-place finish in Portugal.
Kusano Wallace also earned three USTA national titles playing alongside her husband and Cal…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at California Golden Bears Athletics…