Glenbrook North Tennis Coach Wins National Coach of the Year

NORTHBROOK, IL - Glenbrook North tennis coach Peggy Holecek was announced as National High School Girls Tennis Coach of the Year Thursday by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) after being nominated by the Illinois High School Association as the top coach statewide.

“It is with much heartfelt gratitude that I say thank you for this incredible honor,” Holecek said. “It is quite humbling to be chosen, as there are so many talented, dedicated and caring people who coach tennis.”

During Holecek's time coaching GBN girls' tennis, the Spartans have won eight conference titles and six IHSA Sectional championships across all levels.

“I am deeply grateful to the NFHS Coaches Association for selecting me as the National Coach of the Year in Girls Tennis,” Holecek said. “I am honored to have been nominated by the IHSA at the state level and selected by the NFHS Coaches Association as the recipient of the award this year.”

Head coach since 2010, Holecek also actively raises money for several cancer charities, with her teams designing and selling pink t-shirts for Breast Cancer Awareness Month every October since 2008. That tradition has become a school and community event, now known simply as “GBN Goes Pink," which raises thousands of dollars each year.

Holecek has also raised over $150,000 for pediatric cancer research through an annual radiothon in her role as a broadcasting teacher. She has also coached distance runners in GBN's track & field program since 1995 and has coached swimming for over a decade outside the school.

Photo: Peggy Holecek (Courtesy of IHSA)