MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – On Thursday, Jul. 19, it was announced that Becky Cecere, Penn State Harrisburg's head coach of both the men's and women's tennis programs, was named Coach of the Year by the United States Professional Tennis Association's (USPTA) Middle States Division.  The award winners were officially announced at the World Team Tennis Match between the Philadelphia Freedoms and the Orange County Breakers taking place at Villanova University.

Cecere has headed up the blue and white for the past six seasons and amassed great success with both the men's and women's teams.  In 2009, Cecere's ladies won their first North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) championship; the first in school history in any sport.  The men's team won back-to-back North Atlantic Conference (NAC) titles in 2011 and 2012 under Cecere's watch and earned the program's first ever NCAA postseason tournament berth this past spring.  For her most recent efforts, Cecere was named the 2012 NAC West Division Coach of the Year as voted by her peers.

Off the court, she has served for a number of tennis-related organizations including a three-year stint as Chair of the NEAC Tennis Committee.  She currently represents the Atlantic South Region on the NCAA's Women's Tennis Committee, and is a member of the USPTA Middle States Committee and Coaches Commission Committee.

"As a tennis coach and educator, Becky Cecere has made a tremendous impact on the lives of our student athletes, our athletic department and our College in general," said Penn State Harrisburg Athletic Director Rashaan Carlton.

The USPTA is the world's oldest and largest association of tennis-teaching professionals.  Founded in 1927, there are approximately 13,000 USPTA members working in the United States.