Dolehide Honored with Coach K Award

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point women's tennis junior Stephanie Dolehide was honored as one of the recipients of the 2021 Coach K Award for excellence in teaching character through sport in an announcement made by the department of athletics.

The award is presented each year to coaches and cadets who have shown outstanding commitment to the development of noble character through athletic participation and leadership. Mike Krzyzewski, 1969 United States Military Academy (USMA) graduate, takes time each spring to recognize awardees with a certificate and medal for their dedication to the advancement of the West Point community. This year's honorees additionally had the chance to participate in a virtual roundtable with Coach K.

"I am very grateful to have received this award," Dolehide said. "It is an honor to me, as I have looked up to Coach K as a role model since I arrived at West Point and my coach showed me his photo in the Hall of Fame. He has impacted so many individuals and has led exceptional teams through instilling culture, cohesion, respect, dignity, selfless-service, loyalty, and character into his leadership philosophy. I hope to continue to learn from his leadership and impact individuals on my teams in a similar way."

In her three years with the Black Knights, Dolehide has amassed a career record of 34-19 in singles play and a 31-13 mark in doubles. At the end of the 2020-21 slate, she and classmate Caroline Vincent were named the team's most valuable doubles pair as they posted a dominant 9-2 mark. During her tenure, Dolehide has also been named the team's MVP (2019-20) as well as the Rookie of the Year (2018-19).

To go along with her success on the court, Dolehide has proven herself as a leader and is known for her ability to engender trust, positivity and inclusivity in her interpersonal relationships. She currently serves as both the Trust Officer and the Wellness CIC for Company I-3 and was additionally the First Sergeant of the SGR Leadership Detail in the Summer of 2020. Dolehide is a two-term Brigade SAAC Representative, the Outreach NCO for Company I-3 and co-founded the organization "Empowered Women Empower All", which aims to provide inspiration to others via the sharing of stories from leaders.

The rising senior has also played an integral role in the planning and execution of various events, both within and outside of athletics. Dolehide helped to organize the Battalion Trust Barbeque for 400 cadets in the fall of 2020, as well as the Brigade Open, a flighted tennis tournament that saw over 500 cadets compete. She additionally hosted Operation Hike, a morale-boosting event that took place in the summer of 2020, and is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

"I am so proud of Stephanie for receiving the Coach K award," head coach Paul Peck said. "She is an awesome young lady who is an amazing athlete and a natural leader. She leads by example in everything she does on the court, in the classroom and in the Corp. I know after she graduates she will do amazing things in the Army, as well as in public and private sectors."

Dolehide's leadership and performances on the court helped boost the women's tennis team to a 12-4 record in 2020-21, which included a 6-1 mark against Patriot League opponents. A member of the squad that captured the 2019 Patriot League Championship, she will attempt to lead the Black Knights to their third league title since 2018 during her senior campaign.

Army West Point Athletics

Dolehide Honored with Coach K Award

Players Mentioned

Stephanie Dolehide

Caroline Vincent

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