NEWPORT, R.I.-- Casey Farrell '23 has been named the next Salve Regina University women's tennis and men's tennis teams' head coach after serving as the Seahawks interim head coach for 2025-2026.
Farrell was a four-year student-athlete on the Salve tennis team, playing up and down the singles and doubles ladder, before stepping into an assistant coaching role upon graduation in 2023. In the fall of 2025 Farrell was named interim head coach, emerging as a leader and steadfast supporter of Salve's students, after the passing of former head coach Bruce Levine, a beloved mentor and well know figure within the tennis community.
Coach Farrell provided immediate stability, organization, thoughtfulness, and an attentiveness to the well-being of the Salve student-athletes through a difficult time. She positively impacted both students and the community as an unwavering leader.
"This is a full circle moment for me," said Farrell. "I've experienced the team from an athlete perspective and as a coach, I'm excited that the team is ready to continue setting goals and challenging our competition."
Farrell and the Seahawks are eager to begin the 2026-27 slate. This will be the team's fourth year competing in the esteemed New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), and the group is prepared for action.
"The returners and new athletes both have a great competitive drive, and we're already working on using our strengths to show our opponents what we can do," stated Farrell. "We know our competition is intense but so are we. We've built a great dynamic and this is the perfect team for the upcoming season."
With Farrell at the helm, the Seahawks have already taken action as the team prepares to compete later this month.
"We are tremendously excited to name Casey Farrell as our men's and women's tennis coach," said director of athletics Dr. Sean Sullivan. "Throughout our search process, we were reminded time and again of how she stepped into the most challenging of circumstances last season and immediately provided our program with much needed stability, strong communication, thoughtful leadership, and a visible commitment to the well-being of our student-athletes. Coach Farrell rose to the challenge and proved to many of us that she is well prepared to do the work to see that our teams continue to progress and take another step forward."
Farrell is highly involved in the tennis world doing work for the International Tennis Hall of Fame as well as Newport's ACEing Autism program, among other efforts. Upon arrival to campus this fall, Salve tennis had the opportunity to volunteer at the Hall of Fame's 2026 induction event to support this year's inductees Mary Carillo and Roger Federer.
"In addition to the relationships she has built throughout the Newport tennis community, the leadership continuity Casey provides in returning as head coach will only prove to be beneficial to our teams as we move ahead," remarked Sullivan. "Congratulations, Casey...and welcome back!"
The women's tennis team begins their fall slate on Wednesday, September 9, at home against Endicott College at 3 p.m. The men's team plays their first match of the 2026-27 season at Western New England University on Saturday, September 12, at 12 p.m.
