Shackelford Builds Legacy In Sewanee

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – While UNCW has produced its share of head coaches in all sports through the years, few can match the longevity and legacy of women's tennis alum Conchie Gemborys Shackelford, who has piled up 600 victories and established an exemplary program as head women's tennis coach at Sewanee: The University of the South.

Shackelford, a 1982 graduate of UNCW, recently became the first NCAA Division III women's tennis coach to achieve 600 wins after leading the Tigers to yet another successful season at the scenic school located in the mountains 50 miles northwest of Chattanooga.

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"I've been very fortunate to have had so many great players here over the years," said Shackelford, who played for the Seahawks from 1978-82. "When you're lucky enough to get to work with talented and committed players, it makes a coach's job much easier."

Shortly after graduating on the North Carolina coast, the Jacksonville, N.C., native took over the program in Sewanee in the spring of 1987. And it flourished. In nearly four decades, the Tigers have won 13 conference championships and advanced to the NCAA Regionals 26 times.

A six-time conference Coach of the Year selection in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) and Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), Shackelford is the winningest coach in Sewanee history and, more impressively, ranks fourth among active coaches across all three NCAA divisions.

During her ultra-successful 35-year coaching career, Shackelford's teams have posted ten 20-win seasons. In addition, her squad has been listed in the national rankings each season, including nine finishes in the top-10 and two in the top-5. The 1990 squad finished fourth overall in Division III, while the third-place team of 2007 is the highest finish any Sewanee team has had on record.

This year's club reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Championships at the Champions Club in Chattanooga.

Shackelford and her husband, John, are currently overseeing tennis camps on the campus of Sewanee and have more than 600 campers honing their tennis skills. John also played for the Seahawks and serves as Director of Tennis at Sewanee.

Shackelford's path in the sport began in eastern North Carolina as the daughter of a Marine Corpsman and one of seven children. It was in the shadow of the sprawling Camp Lejeune base that she learned the nuances of using top spin, mastering poaching and slicing the ball.

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"My brother, Paul, was taken under the wing of John Ashe, Arthur Ashe's brother. Paul helped my brother, Peter, and I play tennis. Peter became my hitting partner and in college, my husband helped me. I don't feel like I became the best player I could be until after college. I understood the game more. I became more of a student of the game. I'm a better coach than I was as a player. Sometimes the people who weren't as good as they hoped to be become better coaches."

Shackelford's roots in Jacksonville brought her to UNCW in the late 70s when the women's tennis program was getting its footing following the advent of Title IX legislation. She had several coaches during her undergraduate days, but made friends for a lifetime.

"Women's sports were just coming up at UNCW," recalled Shackelford. "I can't compare what I went through with what they have now. I made some good friends, both on the men's and women's side. My husband and I vacation in Wilmington every year.

"My brother, Paul, played on the men's team and he introduced me to John. We were eating in the cafeteria and I met him there."

Shackelford remembers her college days fondly and the challenges of playing on one of the first teams at UNCW. She resided in Galloway Hall, one of three residence halls on campus, and later lived at Wrightsville Beach, pedaling the five-plus miles to campus daily.

She and John still remain good friends with teammates Cathy Kreuzberg, Harvey Goehring and Lance Thompson, reuniting with them every chance they get. "UNCW was very small back then and all of the business majors saw each other every day. I loved it there and wouldn't trade it for the world."

Sewanee, indeed, has been a good fit for the Shackelfords. It's given Conchie and John the opportunity to raise their family in a relaxed, bucolic setting.

The couple has four children: Avery, Sadie, Michaela and Tessa. Sadie played four years of tennis at Middlebury College in Vermont from 2013-16, while Tessa is a first-year tennis student-athlete at Sewanee.

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"The beauty about coaching in Division III is that I never had to take off during four pregnancies," Shackelford chuckled. "I really like establishing relationships. It's intense here, but it's not as time consuming for players as in Division I programs. I don't think coaching on the Division I level would fit into the lifestyle of having four children."

Shackelford remains a student of the game, however, and emulates coaching peers such as Alison Swain at Southern Cal and Dave Schwarz at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College. Swain won eight national Division II championships at Williams College before taking over the USC program and Schwartz has enjoyed successful stints at CMS, Brown and Middlebury, including a national title with the Athenas in 2018.

"I feel like I'm a better coach by just watching and observing. People don't understand that we have some very good players on this level. You can learn a lot by watching other coaches and players and incorporating that into your own team."

Ironically, it's not the wins or accolades - of which there are many - that makes Shackelford beam.

"I've had so many players that I wasn't sure were going to make it. I try to remain close with all of them. I have three members of the team right now whose mothers played for me. There's a lot of issues for today's players such as mental health and a demanding curriculum. The ones that I was able to help and graduated give me my most joy. You realize that coaching is so much more than tennis at this level."

When Shackelford isn't on the courts, she's hiking and exploring the 22 miles of trails that wind around Sewanee's scenic campus. That love for the outdoors as well as her game of choice means there may be plenty more wins on the horizon.

"John asks me often about when I'd like to retire. I still love coaching very much and continue to enjoy the daily practices and matches. I'm living my best life. I'm living that dream that I always wanted. I always wanted to coach. I don't know if I'll ever give it up."

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Shackelford Builds Legacy In Sewanee