Rebecca Fakas

Rebecca Fakas was named the head coach of the Adelphi University men's and women's tennis programs on Jan. 13, 2020.

She had spent two seasons as an assistant coach, before assuming the role of interim head coach late in the fall of the 2019 season.

After finally overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, Fakas settled into the traditional fall and spring seasons for her men's and women's squads in 2021-22. That fall, Fakas was named the NE10 Women's Coach of the Year, after guiding the Panthers to their first appearance in the NE10 Championship final since 2017. Along the way, Fakas' squad stunned top-seeded Le Moyne College, 4-0, in the semifinal round.

Her first full season coaching both squads in 2020-21 saw the women's team finish 10-2, while the men's team compiled a 6-4 record.

The women's team, which placed nearly its entire starting lineup on the NE10 All-Conference First Team, reeled off eight consecutive wins to close out the regular season and reached the semifinals of the NE10 Tournament.

Meanwhile, the men's team qualified for the NE10 Tournament for the first time since 2017 and ended a five-year postseason winless drought.

One of the most decorated tennis players in school history, Fakas boasted an all-time record of 127-20 across singles and doubles in her time in the Brown and Gold, including a 43-3 mark in NE10 singles play.

She was named All-Conference by the NE10 in singles and doubles in each of her four seasons, and capped her career as the 2017-18 NE10 Player of the Year. A two-time NE10 All-Tournament selection and championship MVP, she helped the program win three straight NE10 titles and appear in the NCAA Tournament three times.

She was also honored as a CoSIDA Academic All-American in her senior season, was an NE10 Academic All-Conference selection, and was one of three finalists for the NE10 Female Scholar Athlete of the Year award.

A native of Little Neck, N.Y., Fakas earned a degree in Sports Management from Adelphi.