Becky Cecere is set to enter her 16th season as the head coach of Penn State Harrisburg's men’s and women’s tennis programs in 2022-23.
Cecere has been named the United East (formerly the North Eastern Athletic Conference) Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year on three occasions (2020-21, 2011-12, 2008-09). She was also voted the conference’s men tennis coach of the year in 2011-12. She has coached 70 men’s all-conference players, including United East Players of the Year Caleb Fockens (2021-22), Joshua Cartmill (2011-12), and John Dixon (2010-11), as well as 2011-12 conference rookie of the year Vishnu Gopalakrishnan. On the women’s side, 40 of her players have earned all-conference recognition, including a pair of conference players of the Year in Rachael Lim (2020-21) and Gabrielle LeGendre (2012-13). In 2008-09, she led the women’s team to the college’s first-ever conference title, while her men’s teams won back-to-back North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Championships in 2010-11 and 2011-12. The latter resulted in the school’s first trip to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. In the spring of 2021, Cecere led the women’s team to its second conference title and first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Most recently, Cecere led both the men’s and women’s teams to their respective United East Championship Matches in the spring of 2022. Under her guidance, Fockens turned in a stellar rookie campaign and was named the United East Player and Rookie of the Year, becoming the first player in program history to earn both major awards in the same season. Her men racked up nine all-conference honors, while her women’s players secured six all-conference accolades. Under Cecere’s tutelage, women’s player Sydney Nye extended her program-record wins total to 76 (39 singles, 37 doubles).
In the spring of 2021, Cecere’s women finished undefeated in conference play and won the 2021 NEAC Championship. The Lions defeated Northern Vermont-Johnson to clinch the NAC Title and secure an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Lim was named the NEAC Player of the Year and Nye became the program’s all-time wins leader. The pair was joined by teammates Olivia Hitz, Gabrielle Sabatose, Isabella Pizzelanti, and Annalise Petrascu as singles players on the NEAC All-Conference First Team. Hitz, Pizzelanti, Sabatose, and Mary Connolly earned first-team all-conference honors as doubles players, while Lim and Nye added second-team all-conference recognition as a doubles pair. For her efforts, Cecere was named the NEAC Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year for the third time. She led her men’s team to the 2021 NEAC Championship Match and under her tutelage, Alex Kurtz and Casey Detwiler secured NEAC Second-Team All-Conference accolades.
In 2019-20, she led the women to a strong 7-3 start, while the men racked up five victories through eight matches. Unfortunately, neither team got to build on their impressive starts, as the COVID-19 pandemic cut the spring season short. In the fall of 2019, Rachael Lim was twice named the NEAC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week, while Sydney Nye earned the award once. On the men’s side, Nick Rohn picked up conference player of the week honors in September before Sachin Venkatesh was named the NEAC Player of the Week in October.
In the college's first year of NCAA competition, Cecere led the men’s team to a runner-up finish in the NEAC. In the spring of 2009, the women’s team became the first intercollegiate athletic team at Penn State Harrisburg to win NEAC Championships in both regular season and postseason tournament play. For her efforts, Cecere was named the NEAC Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year.
On the men’s side, Cecere led the Lions to back-to-back NAC/NEAC Championships in both regular season and postseason tournament competition in 2011 and 2012. In 2012, the conference was granted an automatic qualifier and Penn State Harrisburg advanced to the regional first round of NCAA Division III Championship Tournament; another first for the school's athletic department. After leading her squad to new heights, Cecere was voted the NEAC Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year by her peers in 2012.
When Penn State Harrisburg moved back to the NEAC from the CAC prior to the start of the 2019-20 season, Cecere was elected as the Chair of the NEAC Tennis Committee by her fellow coaches. Cecere is certified by the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) as an Elite Professional and has earned the designation of Specialist in Competitive Player Development by graduating from the USTA’s High Performance Coaching Program. She is also certified by the Professional Tennis Registry. In 2012, after winning a pair of conference coach of the year awards, Cecere earned the honor of being named USPTA Middle States College Coach of the Year.
Additionally, Cecere currently continues to serve on the High Performance Committee/Coaches Commission for the Middle States Section of the United States Tennis Association (USTA). She is also a past president of the Central Penn District of the USTA, served as a national coach for the Northeast Zone Team 16s Championships in St. Louis, Mo. for 10 years, was the administrator and coach for the Central Penn Competition Training Center of the USTA and has served in other numerous capacities over the years. Prior to coming to Penn State Harrisburg, Cecere was head women’s tennis coach at Dickinson for eight years. While there, she built the Red Devils into a regionally-recognized program. Cecere is a graduate of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy (2010) and is a charter member of the Alliance of Women Coaches.
Cecere served on the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Committee from 2011-2015, first as the Chair of the Atlantic South Regional Advisory Committee. In 2013, still serving as Chair of the Atlantic South Region, she was selected as National Chair of the Division III Committee, overseeing all regional and national rankings, as well as selections of individuals and teams for the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.
Cecere is a former player and graduate of Ithaca College. She holds a master’s degree in Journalism and Graphic Arts from Texas A&M University-Commerce.