Jenny Hilt-Costello
	Position: Head Coach Experience: 15th Year

In her 14 seasons as head coach at Long Beach State, Jenny Hilt-Costello has taken the 49er women's tennis program into the national elite. Reaching No. 18 in the national rankings acknowledged the arrival of Beach Tennis during a run that has included 11 consecutive winning seasons, 11 straight finals appearances at the Big West Conference Tournament and 11 consecutive nationally-ranked seasons.

In 2011, the 49ers returned to their place at the top of the Big West, winning their eighth Big West Championship in the last 11 years, winning the regular season championship before taking the Big West Tournament title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time. Long Beach State finished ranked No. 36 in the nation, the second-highest final ranking in the program's history after ending the season with a 20-6 overall record, including eight wins over nationally ranked opponents. The 49ers also saw five different players honored with All-Big West recognition, including first team selections for junior Anais Dallara and sophomore Klaudia Malenovska.

During this unprecedented 11-season run, the 2006 season stands out as the 49ers were ranked as high No. 18, reaching the Top 20 for the first time in program history. Posting a 22-5 record versus fourteen ranked opponents in 2006, the 49ers won their first NCAA tournament match while advancing to the round of 32 in the NCAA Championships before narrowly falling to the number two team in the nation. The #26 final national ranking was a 30 spot jump from the start of the season.

The 49ers have compiled a 206-74 (.735) mark the past 11 seasons, including a sparkling 110-12 (.902) against Big West Conference foes. The conference finals appearances (11 consecutive), league championships (8), NCAA tournament qualifications (8) and Top 75 ranking (11 consecutive years) are all the only times in school history that each has been achieved even once.

With a career coaching mark of 231-117 (.664) in 14 years, Hilt-Costello currently holds all major 49er women's tennis coaching records, including single season wins, career wins and highest winning percentage.

Hilt-Costello has been named the Big West Conference Coach of the Year a league-record six times (2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009). In 2004, she was named the West Region Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year award.

During her tenure as head coach, 49er teams have featured six Big West Conference Players of the Year, four Freshmen of the Year, 19 nationally ranked players and 38 Big West First Team singles and doubles honorees. Hilt-Costello has coached three singles and one doubles pair invitees to the NCAA Individual Championships.

Hilt-Costello served from 2002-2006 on the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Committee.

Hilt-Costello's student-athletes also succeed in the classroom having received eight (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011) ITA National All-Academic Team Awards having over 3.40 team grade point averages, including seven in a row. Beach Tennis teams have won 12 of 15 Long Beach State "High Team Grade Point Average" awards amongst the eighteen varsity programs since 2001.

Hilt-Costello arrived at Long Beach State in the fall of 1995 as the assistant tennis coach, as well as teaching kinesiology classes.

Hilt-Costello played collegiate tennis at UCLA, where she graduated with a B.A. in psychology. She played all four years at UCLA and was named Bruin team captain as a senior. She earned a career high national doubles ranking of No. 9, and national singles ranking of No. 35. While at UCLA, the Bruin teams advanced to NCAA Tournament play all four years, including 1991 when they reached the National Championship team final.

Prior to her collegiate career, Hilt-Costello's junior career included advancing to the 1988 final of the USTA National Father-Daughter Doubles Tournament at the U.S. Open.

Born in Madison, Wisc., and raised in Sacramento, Calif., Jenny and her husband John own a home in Long Beach.