July 25, 2001

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--Jen Callen, the head women's tennis coach at Dartmouth College the past two years was named Tuesday as the new head women's tennis coach at North Carolina, Tar Heel athletic director Dick Baddour announced. Callen replaces Carolina alumnus Roland Thornqvist who resigned last month to become the head coach at Florida after three years at the helm of the Tar Heels.

"I am truly honored to have been chosen as the head women's tennis coach at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill," says Callen. "It is exciting to be a part of a university with such a tremendous reputation for athletic and academic excellence. Furthermore, I am looking forward to enhancing the development of the UNC women's tennis program and its student-athletes. "

"We're thrilled with the hiring of Jen Callen," says Baddour. "We were impressed as to how highly recommended she came from many people who we contacted. We believe Jen has the credentials to be one of the rising young stars amongst women's collegiate tennis coaches."

Callen is a 1994 graduate of Virginia where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. She took over the Big Green program in Hanover, N.H. in August 1999 after being the assistant coach at Harvard from August 1997 to August 1999. She was the volunteer assistant at Boston College in 1995-96.

After graduating from Virginia, Callen competed as a professional tennis player for over three years from June 1994-August 1997. She competed worldwide on the Women's Tennis Association tour, attaining high ranks of #450 in singles and #505 in doubles.

While an assistant at Harvard the Crimson won Ivy League championships in 1998 and 1999. Callen inherited a senior-dominated team in her first year at Dartmouth in 2000 and she guided the Big Green to wins against the likes of Harvard, Yale, Brown, Syracuse and Boston College. The 2000 Dartmouth team went 10-8 overall and 4-3 in Ivy League play. This past year's team was 7-12 overall and 2-5 in the Ivy League after suffering massive graduation losses.

Callen played collegiately at Virginia from 1990-94, being named first-team All-ACC all four years. As a sophomore, junior and senior she was ranked in the Top 20 nationally in singles and in 1993 she finished the season as the top-ranked singles player in the NCAA East Region. In 1991 she won singles and doubles titles at the Princeton Invitational and in 1992 she won singles and doubles crowns in the Sunity Life Classic. Callen was named the Senior Player of the Year in the NCAA East Region in 1994 when she also was a finalist for the Gladys Heldman Award.

She is a member of the USTA Committee for Advanced Junior Tennis (1997-present) and co-director at the Nike Tennis Camps at Dartmouth. She was associate director of the Tennis Camps at Harvard in 1998 and 1999. Callen was named the USTA/NE Intersectional Coach for the Girls 18 division in 1998.