After a two-year hiatus, Andrea Pontius returned for her eighteenth year as the interim head coach of the Hartwick women’s tennis program in the Fall of 2018. Pontius is the winningest coach in program history.
In her last season at the helm in 2015, Pontius led Hartwick to an 8-5 record, a program record 5-3 mark in the Empire 8, and a conference tournament appearance.
In 2013, Pontius guided the women’s team to a 5-8 overall record and a 4-3 mark in the Empire 8. The Hawks qualified for the Empire 8 Tournament for the first time since the four-team elimination format started in 2007.
Under the leadership of Pontius in 2010, the women's team posted a record of 6-6 and the Hawks qualified for the New York State Championships. At the conclusion of the season, Angelica Cofer earned Empire 8 Second Team honors and Kim Post received honorable mention. Marcelo Navarro and Jeff Boyd each earned Empire 8 honors for the men's team for the third straight season.
Pontius led the Hartwick men's team to its first winning season since 1989 in the spring of 2009 with an 8-6 mark. The Hawks also recorded a record of 4-4 in the Empire 8. Sophomore trio Jeff Boyd, Marcelo Navarro, and Peter Dumas all earned Empire 8 All-Conference recognition. On the women's side, juniors Kim Post and Jen Lin received conference honors.
In 2008-09, Pontius guided the Hartwick men's team to an 8-9 overall record, a 5-3 mark in the Empire 8 Conference, and the team's first appearance in the conference semifinals since 2004. Under her tutelage, Boyd was named the E8 Rookie of the Year and he and Navarro each earned second team Empire 8 honors. In the fall, she also led senior Anne Neely, and returning players Betsy Breaznell and Lin to all-conference recognition.
Pontius was named 2004 Empire 8 Conference Coach of the Year after leading the men's team to a third-place finish at the conference tournament. Her top singles player, Vladimir Vecher, earned Empire 8 Player of the Year honors.
On the women's side, Hartwick received a bid to compete in the 2004 New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament. Pontius led the team to a 10-7 record and five of her players were named to the 2004 Empire 8 All-Conference Team. In addition, the Hawks had academic success and earned the Team GPA Award from the Empire 8 Conference. The team academic award is presented to all member teams with a 3.2 GPA or higher.
Prior to accepting the head coaching position at Hartwick, Pontius coached the Oneonta High School tennis team to the Susquenango Association Championship and a fourth-place finish at the sectional tournament in 1999.
Pontius was a 12-year member of the United States Tennis Association and was the USTA team captain for two years. In 1996, she was the USTA local and state team tennis league singles winner, and she has won numerous regional tournaments.
After graduating from St. Lawrence University, Pontius worked as an English teacher for five years before moving to Oneonta in 1982 and served as an admissions counselor at Hartwick. She was the head coach of the Oneonta High School tennis team for two years before being hired by former athletic director and Hartwick Hall of Famer Ken Kutler to lead the College’s tennis teams in 1999.
