Women's Tennis Announces Jess Dawson As Assistant Coach
8/14/2025 3:15:00 PM | Women's Tennis
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – North Florida women's tennis head coach Catherine Dunagan announced the addition of assistant coach Jess Dawson on Thursday.Â
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"I'm excited to welcome Jess Dawson on our coaching staff," Dunagan said. "She is a wonderful addition to our program and will bring a great deal of knowledge and experience from her stellar collegiate career. I really look forward to working with Jess as we continue in the development of our players and seek another ASUN Championship."
Dawson will serve in the role after a four-year collegiate career at Furman, where she earned 2022-23 All-SoCon First Team honors, 2021-22 and 2023-24 All-SoCon Second Team selections and a 2021-22 SoCon All-Freshman Team nod.Â
She was a key piece to Furman's 2025 Southern Conference regular season and SoCon Tournament Championship teams while posting a 19-4 record in doubles and a 14-7 mark in singles. That same season, the Paladins were ranked as high as No. 36 in the nation.
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Dawson posted a 97-65 overall record as a player – 56-37 in doubles and 41-28 in singles. She ranked as high as No. 51 nationally for doubles in 2022-23 and tallied three victories over top 30-ranked duos during her career.
She also excelled in the classroom at Furman and was named a four-time Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll selection, four-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and a three-time SoCon Academic All-Conference Team honoree.
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"I'm truly honored to join the Osprey family and excited to begin working with the team," Dawson said. "I'm incredibly grateful for Coach Dunagan for giving me the opportunity to continue my journey in college tennis, this time from the coaching side. I look forward to applying the experience and knowledge I gained as a player to contribute to the program's continued success."
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"I'm excited to welcome Jess Dawson on our coaching staff," Dunagan said. "She is a wonderful addition to our program and will bring a great deal of knowledge and experience from her stellar collegiate career. I really look forward to working with Jess as we continue in the development of our players and seek another ASUN Championship."
Dawson will serve in the role after a four-year collegiate career at Furman, where she earned 2022-23 All-SoCon First Team honors, 2021-22 and 2023-24 All-SoCon Second Team selections and a 2021-22 SoCon All-Freshman Team nod.Â
She was a key piece to Furman's 2025 Southern Conference regular season and SoCon Tournament Championship teams while posting a 19-4 record in doubles and a 14-7 mark in singles. That same season, the Paladins were ranked as high as No. 36 in the nation.
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Dawson posted a 97-65 overall record as a player – 56-37 in doubles and 41-28 in singles. She ranked as high as No. 51 nationally for doubles in 2022-23 and tallied three victories over top 30-ranked duos during her career.
She also excelled in the classroom at Furman and was named a four-time Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll selection, four-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and a three-time SoCon Academic All-Conference Team honoree.
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"I'm truly honored to join the Osprey family and excited to begin working with the team," Dawson said. "I'm incredibly grateful for Coach Dunagan for giving me the opportunity to continue my journey in college tennis, this time from the coaching side. I look forward to applying the experience and knowledge I gained as a player to contribute to the program's continued success."
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