University of Iowa Women’s Tennis coach is an inspiration to her players

After playing tennis for the Iowa Hawkeyes from 1992-1996, Sasha Schmid came back to Iowa City as the women’s head coach in 2016. After coaching at Stetson University and the University of Missouri, Schmid was thrilled to be a Hawkeye once again. 

“It’s a dream job to be able to return to my alma mater and coach the Hawkeyes,” she said. 

Schmid moved around a lot as a child because her father, Steve Boros, had many different roles in Major League Baseball. She attended high school in San Diego when her dad was named manager for the Padres. Boros was originally from Michigan where he played college baseball and her mother was from Iowa so she traveled often to the Hawkeye state. 

“I loved Iowa on our visits, and over the years became a Hawkeye fan,” she said. “We attended football games in Iowa and also attended the Rose Bowl a couple times in L.A. to cheer on Iowa. When it was time for my recruiting process for tennis, I looked at Iowa and loved my visit.”

After she graduated in 1996, she was assistant coach at Iowa while also pursuing her Juris Doctorate at the University of Iowa College of Law. One of her mentors was Dr. Christine Grant, the athletic director at Iowa during this time. 

“She was an incredible mentor and role model for me,” she said. “I was inspired by her work on behalf of gender equity to ensure women have the opportunity to play sports. With Dr Grant’s encouragement, I pursued a law degree at Iowa”

Though Schmid enjoyed law school and originally wanted to use her law degree to work for the NCAA, she instead got pulled back into coaching tennis. 

“I loved the relationships I built with the players on my team. It was so rewarding to be a part of a team, and work towards collective goals that are larger than any one person.”

Samantha Mannix graduated in 2023 and played for Schmid for five seasons. She said Schmid pushed her to become the best version of herself, both on and off the tennis court. 

“Not only does she strive to reach new heights on the court, but she always looks to develop her players into strong and empowered young women,” Mannix said. “When looking back at my college tennis career, I am beyond grateful that I got to spend every day for five years with such an uplifting, intelligent, and supportive head coach.”

“I think it is so important for young females to have women mentors in their lives,” Schmid said. “Coaching through sport is a wonderful profession because it is often the sport experience that teaches young women invaluable lessons about leadership, resiliency, and hard work.”

Schmid also hosts a podcast called “Hawkeye Women Rise” which highlights various stories within Iowa Women’s Athletics. She hopes to continue to advocate for opportunities for women in sports as long as she can.