Will Blevins will always appreciate the role that Tami Lewton played in his success on the tennis court.
“Tami was instrumental in my career,” the former Ankeny Centennial star said. “I had known Tami since I was about 10 years old, and we met at the Ankeny tennis courts. I began taking lessons with her and then she helped me to find other pros and clubs to play at in the Iowa area. In high school she was the best coach that I could have asked for and was crucial in helping me find the right college after graduation. Coaching in a male-dominated sport, she handled it beautifully and used her experience and knowledge to not only help me win but become a better human being in the process. She was always graceful in the way she interacted with everyone in the Iowa tennis community, and she will be greatly missed.”
Lewton, who took over the Centennial boys’ tennis program in 2016 and coached the Jaguars for eight seasons, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 58. She fought a courageous five-month battle against cancer.
Lewton was hospitalized during much of the 2024 season. Dustin Rhoads joined the coaching staff as an assistant to help make up for Lewton’s absence.
“My thoughts and prayers are with Tami’s family, friends, and all the tennis players and people she made a positive impact on!” said Rhoads. “It was an honor to coach her team this spring while she battled with cancer. I just wanted to step up for her and try to make her proud!”
Lewton briefly appeared at the Jaguars’ meet against Ankeny on April 25. She was honored at the Pink Out event that annually raises funds for the fight against cancer–a project that she often spearheaded in the past.
“Tami wasn’t just the Centennial boys’ tennis coach. She was tennis in Ankeny–and Central Iowa–as we all knew it,” said Centennial Activities Director Nate Lingren. “Tami had a deep passion for the sport of tennis and loved teaching the game to kids of all ages. But above everything, Tami loved the kids she served and the relationships she built with them. At the Jags vs. Hawks tennis match, we were able to have Tami, her family, and past and present coaches and players come out and celebrate Tami. It was a very special day at the courts, one that many of us will always cherish. Tami was extremely proud of her home family, which she reciprocated to her tennis family. She was a joy to be around, and she will be greatly missed.
“Ankeny Centennial will continue to have Tami, Russ, and their children in our thoughts and prayers,” he added.
Lewton played at Iowa State and later coached at Dowling Catholic, helping the Maroons to a state title. She was also a tennis pro at Des Moines Golf and Country Club.
Lewton was named the head coach at Centennial several months after her son, Jack, had qualified for the state tournament in 2015. He went on to play for Central College.
“It seemed like a good time to step in now that Jack has graduated,” Lewton said at the time. “I can kind of separate my personal life from my professional life a little bit, so that’s good.”
Lewton guided Centennial to a 57-47 record during her tenure. The Jaguars advanced to the Class 2A state team tournament in four of her first five seasons.
In 2019, Centennial reached the semifinals after outlasting Ames, 5-4, in a marathon 4 1/2-hour battle. The Jaguars went on to place fourth.
“I coached against Tami many times while I was at Ames, and it was always a challenge because of her passion and competitiveness,” Rhoads said. “I was devastated losing that (quarterfinal) match. Now I’m glad Tami got that win for her and her players.”
Lewton also earned the respect of former Ankeny standout Jay Fifield, who coached against her when he was at Valley in 2016.
“Tami was very talented as a player and an amazing developer of talent, especially in coaching high-level high school boys’ doubles play,” said Fifield. “She was unapologetically competitive and had everyone’s utmost respect. She was a superb coach and an even better person. She will be missed by the entire coaching and overall tennis communities.”
Lewton guided eight different players to the individual state tournament, including a pair of three-time placewinners in Blevins and Caleb Peterson. Blevins was the Class 2A singles runner-up in 2021.
“Tami’s coaching style was very cooperative and one-on-one,” said Blevins, who went on to play for Drake. “Oftentimes between games and sets we would talk, and she would allow me to express my thoughts on how the match was going and then she would chime in her advice. It was very heavily centered on helping me figure out how to navigate my way through tough matches.”
Peterson was the Class 2A singles runner-up in 2023. He is now playing at Iowa Central Community College.
“I think that the key to her success was her being at the Prairie Ridge tennis courts 24/7,” Blevins said. “It didn’t matter if tennis was in season Tami was always at the courts helping players throughout the summer and fall. This really helped to bring in new faces to the game of tennis. She helped to grow talent for both Centennial and Ankeny and the surrounding schools. She really focused on creating relationships with players that made them want to come back every summer for camps. She led the Parks and Rec tennis camps every summer and taught hundreds if not thousands of kids the game of tennis. Her love for the sport really helped to attract new faces every summer. Her success at Centennial can be attributed to her willingness to meet the players where they are and help strive to make them the best tennis players they can be.”
Lewton’s death will be felt across the state.
“This is a huge loss for the tennis communities of Ankeny and the state of Iowa,” Rhoads said. “But the positive impact she had will live on in all of the players she was blessed to coach.”
The visitation will be on Monday from 4-7 p.m. at Ankeny First United Methodist Church. The funeral will be at the church on Tuesday at 10 a.m.