WT Three-Time All-American Blair Shankle Returns as Associate Head Coach
6/15/2026 9:49:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Three-time ITA Regional Assistant Coach of the Year comes home alma mater
WACO, Texas – Baylor women's tennis alumna Blair Shankle, a three-time All-American and six-time All-Big 12 selection who has since earned ITA Assistant Coach of the Year honors three times, has been named associate head coach, Joey Scrivano announced Monday morning.
"We're incredibly excited to welcome Blair back home to Baylor," said Scrivano. "This is a huge win for our student-athletes and our program."
Shankle's coaching career spans five institutions across nine years, beginning as a student assistant while completing her master's program in Waco during the 2018 season. She then moved to Ole Miss as a volunteer assistant before joining Utah as an assistant coach in 2020. She joined SMU as an assistant coach before being promoted to associate head coach in 2023 and most recently served as associate head coach at Rice for two seasons beginning in 2024.
"Blair has invested deeply in her coaching craft and has quickly established herself as one of the top young coaches in our sport," Scrivano said. "The same qualities that made her one of the best players in college tennis, hard work, discipline, toughness, being teachable and putting the team first, are the same qualities she now brings to coaching and developing young women."
"I'm very excited to have the opportunity to come back to my alma mater and wear the green and gold again," said Shankle. "I loved my time at Baylor as a student-athlete and know what a special place it is. I can't wait to start working with the team and getting to know everyone. Joey made an impact on me as a player and as a person, and I look forward to working with him and making a positive impact on current and future Bears."
At Rice, Shankle helped guide the Owls to their winningest season in nine years with an 18-7 record, including a first-round NCAA Tournament win over No. 20 TCU, marking the program's first NCAA Regional victory since 2016. The run came during back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by the program's first American Conference Tournament championship in 2026 and an automatic NCAA bid, with Divna Ratkovic earning Most Outstanding Player honors. She was named ITA Assistant Coach of the Year for the third time following her efforts in Houston.
At SMU, Shankle spent one season as an assistant coach before being elevated to associate head coach in her second year and was named ITA Texas Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2024. The Mustangs captured back-to-back American Conference titles with NCAA Tournament appearances in both seasons and recorded a win in the 2024 national championship draw, the program's first in 13 seasons.
At Utah, Shankle earned ITA Mountain Region Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2022 after helping lead the Utes to the best start in program history with three ranked wins and their first Pac-12 Championship victory in five seasons. Off the court, she helped secure the program's first top-10 recruiting class.
At Ole Miss, Shankle helped guide the Rebels to a No. 24 team ranking in 2020, highlighted by a doubles pair that climbed as high as No. 17. The Rebels produced ITA Southern Regional finalists in singles and doubles while also developing an All-SEC Second Team selection, the conference's Most Improved Senior and an ITA regional Player to Watch honoree.
Shankle earned two degrees from Baylor, graduating in spring 2018 with a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's degree in taxation.
During her playing career, Shankle helped Baylor to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances as part of a 14-year streak, including an Elite Eight run in 2015, one of six all-time appearances for the program. The Bears also claimed Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles in 2014 and 2015 during her playing tenure.
A three-time All-American, Shankle earned the honor twice in doubles after reaching the NCAA Doubles Championship quarterfinals in 2014 and 2015 and in singles in 2017 after advancing to the round of 16 at the NCAA Singles Championship. She finished with 109 career singles wins, sixth in program history, and 99 doubles wins, third-most at Baylor, and reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 3.
Shankle was named Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2016 and 2017 and earned All-Big 12 honors in singles and doubles in 2015 and 2016 and first-team recognition in singles and doubles in 2017. She was also a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection from 2015 to 2017.
Through the ITA, Shankle earned the regional Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award in 2016 and was named both regional and national Most Improved Senior in 2017, while earning ITA Scholar-Athlete honors all four years.
"I'm looking forward to working alongside Blair as we continue helping our student-athletes grow, compete at the highest level and carry forward what makes Baylor tennis such a special place," said Scrivano.
Shankle will step into the associate head coach role in July, following Dave Watt's one-year stint.
Stay up to date with the latest news and updates by following @BaylorWTennis on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
"We're incredibly excited to welcome Blair back home to Baylor," said Scrivano. "This is a huge win for our student-athletes and our program."
Shankle's coaching career spans five institutions across nine years, beginning as a student assistant while completing her master's program in Waco during the 2018 season. She then moved to Ole Miss as a volunteer assistant before joining Utah as an assistant coach in 2020. She joined SMU as an assistant coach before being promoted to associate head coach in 2023 and most recently served as associate head coach at Rice for two seasons beginning in 2024.
"Blair has invested deeply in her coaching craft and has quickly established herself as one of the top young coaches in our sport," Scrivano said. "The same qualities that made her one of the best players in college tennis, hard work, discipline, toughness, being teachable and putting the team first, are the same qualities she now brings to coaching and developing young women."
"I'm very excited to have the opportunity to come back to my alma mater and wear the green and gold again," said Shankle. "I loved my time at Baylor as a student-athlete and know what a special place it is. I can't wait to start working with the team and getting to know everyone. Joey made an impact on me as a player and as a person, and I look forward to working with him and making a positive impact on current and future Bears."
At Rice, Shankle helped guide the Owls to their winningest season in nine years with an 18-7 record, including a first-round NCAA Tournament win over No. 20 TCU, marking the program's first NCAA Regional victory since 2016. The run came during back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by the program's first American Conference Tournament championship in 2026 and an automatic NCAA bid, with Divna Ratkovic earning Most Outstanding Player honors. She was named ITA Assistant Coach of the Year for the third time following her efforts in Houston.
At SMU, Shankle spent one season as an assistant coach before being elevated to associate head coach in her second year and was named ITA Texas Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2024. The Mustangs captured back-to-back American Conference titles with NCAA Tournament appearances in both seasons and recorded a win in the 2024 national championship draw, the program's first in 13 seasons.
At Utah, Shankle earned ITA Mountain Region Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2022 after helping lead the Utes to the best start in program history with three ranked wins and their first Pac-12 Championship victory in five seasons. Off the court, she helped secure the program's first top-10 recruiting class.
At Ole Miss, Shankle helped guide the Rebels to a No. 24 team ranking in 2020, highlighted by a doubles pair that climbed as high as No. 17. The Rebels produced ITA Southern Regional finalists in singles and doubles while also developing an All-SEC Second Team selection, the conference's Most Improved Senior and an ITA regional Player to Watch honoree.
Shankle earned two degrees from Baylor, graduating in spring 2018 with a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's degree in taxation.
During her playing career, Shankle helped Baylor to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances as part of a 14-year streak, including an Elite Eight run in 2015, one of six all-time appearances for the program. The Bears also claimed Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles in 2014 and 2015 during her playing tenure.
A three-time All-American, Shankle earned the honor twice in doubles after reaching the NCAA Doubles Championship quarterfinals in 2014 and 2015 and in singles in 2017 after advancing to the round of 16 at the NCAA Singles Championship. She finished with 109 career singles wins, sixth in program history, and 99 doubles wins, third-most at Baylor, and reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 3.
Shankle was named Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2016 and 2017 and earned All-Big 12 honors in singles and doubles in 2015 and 2016 and first-team recognition in singles and doubles in 2017. She was also a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection from 2015 to 2017.
Through the ITA, Shankle earned the regional Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award in 2016 and was named both regional and national Most Improved Senior in 2017, while earning ITA Scholar-Athlete honors all four years.
"I'm looking forward to working alongside Blair as we continue helping our student-athletes grow, compete at the highest level and carry forward what makes Baylor tennis such a special place," said Scrivano.
Shankle will step into the associate head coach role in July, following Dave Watt's one-year stint.
Stay up to date with the latest news and updates by following @BaylorWTennis on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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