The 2014-15 season is the 11th for Malcolm Gilreath as the head women's tennis coach at South Dakota. He is leading USD to one of its most successful stretches in school history and has the most wins of any Coyote tennis coach. South Dakota is 122-117 in 10 seasons under Gilreath's guidance.
USD has stockpiled academic awards with Gilreath at the helm. The Coyotes have been named an ITA All-Academic Teamnine times and 37 individuals have been named ITA Scholar-Athletes. The 2012-13 team earned the Summit League's Team Academic Achievement Award given to the tennis team with the highest percentage of list-eligible student-athletes on the Commissioner's List (for USD it was 100 percent).
On the court, the Coyotes have featured two All-Summit League performers in Alena Sergeychik (2012) and Yamini Reddy (2013). Reddy was also named to the All-Academic Team in 2013 and 2014. The 2013-14 team reached the Summit League Tournament semifinals and the 2012-13 team won 16 matches and qualified for the league tournament in the program's first season of eligibility.
Under Gilreath, USD has averaged almost 12 victories per season.
The 2011-12 Coyotes enjoyed their best season since moving to Division I status, going 16-9. The Coyotes finished a solid fifth in their first year in the Summit League. The Coyotes had five players earn 20 singles victories or more, led by Yamini Reddy at 29-7, Veronika Makashov at 27-9 and Alena Sergeychik at 26-12. Shadi Soleymani was 24-9 and Nina Barudzic at 20-18.
South Dakota started off 1-3 but won nine straight matches, including strong wins over Division I foes Southeast Missouri State, Robert Morris, St. Joseph and Presbyterian. The Coyotes were 6-1 on their annual Florida trip.
The Coyotes also earned conference wins over IUPUI, Western Illinois, South Dakota State and Oakland. Sergeychik earned All-Summit League honors after going 6-1 in conference play.
South Dakota continued to progress in 2010-11, winning their first-ever match at the Great West Conference Championship -- to finish fifth. Junior Shadi Soleymani earned All-Great West second team honors.
The Coyotes continued to play a difficult schedule in 2010-11, competing in a tournament hosted by Big 12 foe Kansas, along with facing St. John's, James Madison, Creighton and Colorado State in duals.
The Coyotes earned solid wins over future Summit League opponent Western Illinois plus St. Joseph and Robert Morris on their way to a respectable 9-14 mark -- improving by four wins from the previous season. South Dakota players continued to shine in the classroom as both Janea Hagen and Kaitlyn Deragisch were named ITA Scholar-Athletes in 2011.
The Coyotes finished 5-16 in 2009-10, playing their toughest schedule in program history. USD played quality Division I programs such as Kansas, Air Force, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Creighton, Bowling Green, Missouri-Kansas City and Fairfield during the season. USD finished fifth at the Great West Championship. Freshman Marina Kiefer earned all-conference second team honors at the event.
In 2010, for the sixth straight year, USD earnedITA All-Academic honors. In all,34 student-athletes from USD have earned the honor during Gilreath's tenure. In 2008-09 and 2009-10, USD had five athletes named to the Great West All-Academic team.
"I am very proud of our team both off and on the court," said Gilreath. "It is my pleasure to be working with them in preparation for their time after college. With hard work and dedication, the ladies have proven over the years that USD is a great place to get an education while playing the game we all love. We have a great blend of cultural diversity on the team which adds to the experience. The faculty and staff have embraced the team and I know the players and I truly appreciate all that they do."
USD finished 10-11 in 2008-09, playing a rugged schedule against several quality Division I programs. Gilreath has directed the USD's women's program to a new level of competitiveness since taking the helm.
In duals in 2008, USD had the most wins ever in a single season with a record of 19-6. The 19 wins by USD broke the school record of the 16 set in 2007.
Gilreath has been heavily involved in the Tri-State-area tennis scene since arriving in the area in 1990 as both a coach and instructor. He has helped develop many of the top players in the area, including state champions, national level juniors, and collegiate players. Gilreath has served as Director of Tennis at the Sioux City Country Club, Director of Junior Development and also head tennis professional at Mid-Town Athletic Club, prior to pursuing another professional career. He also previously served as tennis coach at Buena Vista University and Sioux City North High School.
In recent years, Gilreath has been ranked in Iowa's Open Division in both men's singles and doubles. He has been highly-ranked sectionally and nationally in the USTA Men's 35 and over division in both singles and doubles. Gilreath continues to play local and sectional tournaments. He also enjoys playing local and state charity events. He played collegiately at Grandview College in Des Moines, Iowa, and Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he was a two-time conference champion at the No. 1 singles position. He was also inducted into the Kohawk Tennis Hall of Fame in 1996.
Gilreath is also a USPTA (United States Professional Tennis Association) certified tennis professional. He has previously been a member of the ITA Central region ranking committee. Gilreath received a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from Coe College in 1990.
Records and highlights of the seasons:
2013-14
--Reached the Summit League Tournament semifinals
--Yamini Reddy named to the Summit League's All-Academic Team
--Finished fourth in the league's stadings (2-4)
--Yuliya Sidenko tied for fourth in league for most wins (16), sixth in winning percentage (.696)
2012-13
--Won 16 matches and had a 4-3 Summit League record
--Qualified for the Summit League Tournament in the program's first season of eligibility
--Named Yamini Reddy to the All-Summit League Team and the All-Academic Team
--earned the Summt League's Team Academic Achievement Award
2011-12
--Recorded 16 wins, most since moving to Division I.
--Had a nine-game winning streak during the season.
--Finished 5th in the Summit League in first year in the conference.
--Senior Alena Sergeychik was named to the All-Summit League first team.
2010-11
--Improved by four wins from 2009-10, including victories over St. Joseph, Robert Morris and future Summit League foe Western Illinois.
--Won first-ever Division I conference tournament match with victory over Chicago State.
--Junior Shadi Soleymani named to All-Great West second team.
--Sophomore Marina Kiefer named All-Great West Academic.
--Hagen and Deragisch named ITA Scholar Athletes.
2009-10
--Freshman Marina Kiefer earned All-Great West Conference second team honors.
--USD finished with a 5-16 record against a rugged schedule during 2009-10.
--Highlights included improved showings at Drake and Omaha Collegiate Invitational.
--Four athletes named ITA Scholar-Athletes, bringing the total to 22 in Gilreath's tenure: Jessica Burchill, Rijalda Zejnic, Kaitlyn Deragisch and Janea Hagen.
--Zejnic and Rockne earned Great West Conference All-Academic honors.
2008-2009
--Three Coyotes named All-Academic by Great West Conference (Janea Hagen, Melanie Rockne, Rijalda Zejnic). --A dual meet record of 10-11 in first year of Division I competition.
--Season included three-match winning streak and an unbeaten home record.
2007-2008
--19-6 dual meet season record ( all-time win record) --ITA Academic All-American team with 5 individual Academic awards
--Rijalda Zejnic is ranked in the top 15 regionally in singles by the ITA. Rijalda and her partner Andrea Da Silva earn a top 10 regional ranking in doubles.
--Jenny Lewellen won the No. 2 singles flight at the NCC Championships.
2006-2007
--16-9 dual meet season record
--ITA Academic All-American team with 2 individual Academic awards
--Amanda Nicol is the first ever USD player to be ranked in the top 15 regionally in singles by the ITA.
--Amanda Barton and Rachel Kludt became the first ever doubles team at USD to be ranked regionally by the ITA.
2005-2006
--13-13 dual meet season
--ITA Academic All-American team with 4 individual Academic awards.
2004- 2005
--4-14 dual meet season record --ITA Academic All-American team with 2 individual Academic awards
--Maya Ristic placed 3rd at #1 singles at NCC meet.
Overall dual record: 122-117
