Rebecca Helt was named the head men's and women's tennis coach at Bloomsburg University in July of 2019 and will be entering her fifth season at the helm of both programs this year. Helt replaces Marty Coyne who retired following the 2018-19 season after guiding both teams for a quarter of a century.
Last season under Helt, the men's and women's tennis programs qualified for the opening round of their PSAC Team Championships. The women's team finished the 2022-23 season with an overall record of 5-11 and made an appearance in the PSAC Quarterfinals. Following the season, Lexi Quackenbush was named to the all-conference team after going 5-10 in singles competition. The men's team reached PSAC Semifinals after closing out the regular season by winning four of their final contests to qualify for the postseason. The men's team finished the year with an overall record of 4-12.
In 2021-22, Helt guided the men's and women's programs to a berth in the PSAC Championships. The women's team made it to the PSAC Quarterfinals after posting a 5-3 conference record and 8-10 overall record. The men's team made it to the semifinals after earning a No. 4 seed with a 3-2 conference record. In addition, Oliver Wisemann was selected as the PSAC Champion Scholar Athlete for men's tennis after having the highest grade point average out of the competing athletes at the conference championships.Â
During Helt's first season guiding both programs, the men appeared in the PSACÂ semifinals and the women made it to the quarterfinals. The women closed out the season with an even 4-4 record while the men were 5-3 overall and 4-2 in PSAC play.Â
Helt brings a substantial resume with her as she comes to Bloomsburg following a 22-year stint as the head coach of the women's tennis team at Bucknell University. Helt leaves Bucknell as the all-time winningest coach in program history, compiling an overall record of 241-220. While at Bucknell, Helt also served as the coordinator of tennis – a position she assumed in December of 2013. She also coached the men's program from 2002-13 and guided Gregg Cohenca and Evan Zimmer to the NCAA Championships in doubles which marked a first in both Bucknell and Patriot League history.
Over the past 16 seasons, Helt's women's teams finished in the top three in the Patriot League standings on nine occasions and made six consecutive appearances in the championship match from 2005-10. In 2004, the Bison women appeared in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rankings for the first time in program history and were the only Patriot League team – and one of five in the Northeast Region – to appear in the rankings at that time. The 2005 campaign was also an historic one for Helt as she guided the Bison women to a program-record 17-5 overall mark.
During her impressive career at Bucknell, Helt coached two Patriot League Players of the Year and five Patriot League Rookies of the Year. She also guided 46 All-League selections (34 women, 12 men) and had seven Academic All-League honorees.
A 1990 graduate of Lock Haven University, Helt earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism while competing for the Lock Haven tennis team. In 1991, Helt earned a teaching certification from the United States Professional Tennis Registry (USPTR) and worked as a teaching pro at West Branch Racquet Club in Williamsport, Pa., and the Doylestown Racquet Club in Doylestown, Pa., before starting her collegiate coaching career at Bucknell in 1997.
Updated on 5/25/2023
