PORTLAND, Ore. – University of Portland women's tennis team head coach Susie Campbell has announced that she will be leaving the program to accept a position as the Tennis Director of The Racquet Club in Portland, Ore. Assistant coach Filip Zivkovic will take over as interim head coach.

"My years at UP have been some of the best of my life," Campbell said. "I will miss my job and the opportunity to represent the University, mentor and coach student-athletes and work alongside the incredible peer coaches and administrators I have had the pleasure of working with. UP tennis is in great shape, and I have no doubt the experience will continue to develop amazing athletes and leaders for the future. I am humbled and grateful to have served in the head coach capacity for my time here! Keep going, Pilots!"

"This is a bittersweet day for UP Athletics as we are excited for Susie and her terrific new opportunity but will at the same time really miss her presence on The Bluff," University of Portland Vice President for Athletics Scott Leykam said. "She has been a critical part of UP Athletics for nearly 30 years and her positive impact will be felt long after her departure. Beyond her coaching abilities, Susie was a fantastic mentor for countless student-athletes, coaches and staff over the years. She will forever be a Pilot."

"Susie definitely had a huge impact on shaping the person I am and always will be," recent graduate Emily Soares said. "I will always be thankful for what Susie did for me."

Campbell served as head coach of the women's tennis team for 29 seasons dating back to 1993 and was the second-longest tenured head coach of any Pilot Athletics program behind only Rob Conner, head coach of the men's cross country and track & field team.

During her time in Portland Campbell was twice named West Coast Conference Coach of the Year – once in 1997 and again in 1998 – and led the Pilots to a second-place finish in the WCC during the 2015 season. That year, the Pilots finished 17-6 overall and 7-2 in conference play, making their first-ever WCC Championship match. With 252 dual match victories, Campbell is the winningest coach in UP women's tennis history.

Campbell has coached several nationally ranked players during her time with the Pilots. She coached Courtney Perkins, who was named All-WCC First Team in singles every year from 2000 to 2002. She also coached Maja Mladenovic, who was ranked as high as 104th in the country and was a 2014 All-WCC First Team Singles selection and Lucia Butkovska, who was ranked 60th in the nation in 2015 and 68th in 2016. Mladenovic earned All-WCC First Team honors in 2014 and second team honors in 2013 and 2015, while Butkovska earned first team recognition in 2015 and 2016.

During her time as coach, Campbell helped 15 different Pilots earn All-WCC Singles recognition, with a total of 23 selections. In doubles, she had 10 different duos earn All-WCC recognition, with two first-team selections, four second-team selections and five honorable mention selections for 11 total.

The women's tennis program experienced much academic success during her time with the Pilots as well. Portland had 21 athletes earn WCC All-Academic recognition during her time as coach, highlighted by Andrea Swick earning WCC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1993. Women's tennis also consistently ranks among the highest in team GPAs at the University of Portland and earned the ITA Team All-Academic Award this past spring.

Before coaching the Pilots, Campbell put together an impressive college and professional playing career. At the University of Oklahoma, she was a two-year letterwinner in tennis and earned one letter in softball. She was a part of the 1988 Big-8 Conference doubles championship team and received the Big-8 Sportsmanship Award in 1989. She was named an All-American in 1988 and reached the NCAA Quarterfinals that year.

Before her time as a Sooner, she earned All-American honors at Cal State Northridge. She was a four-time All-CIF state selection out of Louisville High School in Woodland Hills, Calif. and was the top ranked singles and doubles player in the CIF Southern California area as a senior.

Professionally, Campbell was once ranked the Pacific Northwest's No. 1 open singles and doubles player. She competed in USTA 10,000's and was the 1994 Pacific Northwest Open Player of the Year. She was also a finalist at the $15,000 Nike Open Championships in singles, doubles and mixed doubles and played in European competitions twice, once in 1986 and again in 1989.

In 2012, Campbell earned a Master's Degree in Leadership through the University of Portland's School of Education. She is the mother of three children – Jasmine, Mackenzie and Gavin – who continue to thrive in their endeavors.