The new head coach of the Ankeny girls’ tennis team already knows her way around the Prairie Ridge tennis courts.
Katie Owens has been hired to replace Steve Smith, who stepped down at the end of the season. She previously coached the Hawkettes from 2014-20, although her final year was interrupted by COVID-19.
“I’m back,” said Owens. “I’m so grateful and very excited.”
Owens was initially hired to take over the girls’ program in 2013, but she stepped aside that season due to maternity leave. Longtime coach Mike Mullins then agreed to coach the Hawkettes for one more season in her absence.
Owens returned the following year and coached the team for seven seasons, including a 6-9 mark in her final year in 2019. She resigned from her position before the birth of her fourth child in 2020.
“I took some time to raise my family, but I definitely missed working with the student-athletes,” Owens said. “The opportunity came about when coach Smith decided to resign, and I just knew I’d regret not trying for this (position) again. Now, I’m just so excited to have this opportunity. I can not wait to see what all comes about.”
Smith guided the Hawkettes to a 5-9 record in his final season. His daughter, Kira, won the Class 2A singles title to become the first-ever state tennis champion from the city of Ankeny.
However, Kira and some other talented seniors have graduated.
“I definitely recognize some of the names (of the girls), and I know we have some good underclassmen coming up,” Owens said. “So I’m excited to help them reach their fullest potential and see where this season goes, now that it’s in the fall.”
The Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union moved girls’ tennis to a fall sport beginning in 2025. Owens said the first day of the season is Aug. 4, which gives her less than seven weeks to prepare for her return to the courts.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunity, and we are going to have a lot of tough matches,” she said. “We’ll just have to see where it goes.”