Women's Tennis
- Title:
- Student Assistant Coach
Blair Shankle was announced as the associate head coach of her alma mater, beginning on July 1, 2026.
Shankle’s coaching career before returning to Baylor full-time spanned five institutions across nine years, beginning as a student assistant while completing her master’s program in Waco during the 2018 season. She then moved to Ole Miss as a volunteer assistant before joining Utah as an assistant coach in 2020. She joined SMU as an assistant coach before being promoted to associate head coach in 2023 and most recently served as associate head coach at Rice for two seasons beginning in 2024.
At Rice, Shankle helped guide the Owls to their winningest season in nine years with an 18-7 record, including a first-round NCAA Tournament win over No. 20 TCU, marking the program’s first NCAA Regional victory since 2016. The run came during back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by the program’s first American Conference Tournament championship in 2026 and an automatic NCAA bid, with Divna Ratkovic earning Most Outstanding Player honors. She was named ITA Assistant Coach of the Year for the third time following her efforts in Houston.
At SMU, Shankle spent one season as an assistant coach before being elevated to associate head coach in her second year and was named ITA Texas Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2024. The Mustangs captured back-to-back American Conference titles with NCAA Tournament appearances in both seasons and recorded a win in the 2024 national championship draw, the program’s first in 13 seasons.
At Utah, Shankle earned ITA Mountain Region Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2022 after helping lead the Utes to the best start in program history with three ranked wins and their first Pac-12 Championship victory in five seasons. Off the court, she helped secure the program’s first top-10 recruiting class.
At Ole Miss, Shankle helped guide the Rebels to a No. 24 team ranking in 2020, highlighted by a doubles pair that climbed as high as No. 17. The Rebels produced ITA Southern Regional finalists in singles and doubles while also developing an All-SEC Second Team selection, the conference’s Most Improved Senior and an ITA regional Player to Watch honoree.
Shankle earned two degrees from Baylor, graduating in spring 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in taxation.
During her playing career, Shankle helped Baylor to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances as part of a 14-year streak, including an Elite Eight run in 2015, one of six all-time appearances for the program. The Bears also claimed Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles in 2014 and 2015 during her playing tenure.
A three-time All-American, Shankle earned the honor twice in doubles after reaching the NCAA Doubles Championship quarterfinals in 2014 and 2015 and in singles in 2017 after advancing to the round of 16 at the NCAA Singles Championship. She finished with 109 career singles wins, sixth in program history, and 99 doubles wins, third-most at Baylor, and reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 3.
Shankle was named Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2016 and 2017 and earned All-Big 12 honors in singles and doubles in 2015 and 2016 and first-team recognition in singles and doubles in 2017. She was also a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection from 2015 to 2017.
Through the ITA, Shankle earned the regional Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award in 2016 and was named both regional and national Most Improved Senior in 2017, while earning ITA Scholar-Athlete honors all four years.
Blair Shankle File
| Years | Title | Institution |
| 2026-present | Associate Head Coach | Baylor |
| 2024-26 | Associate Head Coach | Rice |
| 2023-24 | Associate Head Coach | SMU |
| 2022-23 | Assistant Coach | SMU |
| 2020-22 | Assistant Coach | Utah |
| 2018-20 | Volunteer Assistant Coach | Ole Miss |
| 2017-18 | Student Assistant Coach | Baylor |
Playing Honors
| 2017 All-Big 12 First Team Singles & Doubles |
| 2017 Singles All-American |
| 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team |
| 2017 ITA Most Improved Senior (national and regional award winner) |
| 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team |
| 2017 Big 12 Player of the Week (Feb. 7, March 21, April 18 & April 25) |
| 2016 All-Big 12 First Team Singles & Doubles |
| 2016 Big 12 Player of the Week (April 7) |
| 2015 All-Big 12 Singles & Doubles |
| 2015 Big 12 Player of the Week (March 17 & April 7) |
| 2014, 2015 ITA All-American Doubles |
| 2016 & 2017 Big 12 Scholar-Athletes of the Year |
| 2016 ITA Texas Region Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship |
| 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017 ITA Scholar-Athlete |
| 2015, 2016 & 2017 Academic All-Big 12 First Team |
| Eight-time Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll selection |
