Saint Stephen's hires tennis coaches

Saint Stephen’s named Rebecca Walsh and James Flaniga as its new varsity girls and boys tennis coaches, respectively.

Walsh, who also teaches Lower School Spanish at Saint Stephen’s, played tennis at Cardinal Gibbons High School and at the University of Western Ontario. She has taught tennis since 2003 where she was a FirstServe Tennis Instructor and was the Resident Tennis Professional at Woodbridge Sport & Health Club in Virginia.

Walsh joined the Saint Stephen’s staff last year and coached the Falcons middle school tennis program. She is currently a USTA 4.5 player.

Flanigan played high school tennis in Colorado before moving on to Hobart College in New York. He was the Assistant Tennis Professional at Skyline Swim & Tennis Club in Denver from 2004-2010.

He was hired at Saint Stephen’s as an Upper School English teacher prior to the 2010 school year, and was an assistant with the tennis program for the past two years.

"We took our time with this process and talked to a lot of people about our tennis program,” Athletic Director Carlos Boothby said. “James and Rebecca were the right fit. They both have extensive knowledge of the game, they have fresh ideas for the program and they understand the Saint Stephen's culture. They both have the unique ability to work with the most advanced players all the way to the beginning level players. We are excited to have them running our programs."

Walsh and Flanigan both inherit programs that advanced to postseason last spring. The varsity girls tennis team finished fourth in the state tournament while the varsity boys team advanced to the regional finals.