Yarmouth, Maine, February 21, 2025: Heading into the 2025 spring athletics season North Yarmouth Academy (NYA) girls varsity tennis has, not one, but two, new coaches leading the program. Danielle Dignan P’27 & P’29 and Betsy Tod P’20 & P’25 will share duties on the court as co-head coaches.

A lifelong tennis player, Coach Dignan has competed on many USTA teams and is excited to share her passion for tennis with the NYA girls’ varsity team. She has served on the boards of several schools and has always enjoyed competitive sports, including college rowing and one-design sailboat racing. Dignan previously worked as an outdoor educator and professional sailor. Danielle currently works as a founding partner of a real estate development and investment firm.

Coach Tod is a lifelong student of tennis, having competed for four years at the high school level and for over 15 years in local USTA leagues. She is excited to bring her knowledge of the game to our upper school student athletes. Tod currently serves on the NYA Board of Trustees as well as two community action non-profits. She is a longtime member of the NYA community and a devoted volunteer within both the local Portland and NYA communities.

“Coach Tod and Coach Dignan are no strangers to our NYA community or the girls tennis program,” said NYA Athletic director Kelsy Ross. “Their personal experiences as tennis players, roles as NYA student-athlete parents, and knowledge of athletics set the stage for a successful spring season. Their enthusiastic and sport-specific leadership is a perfect programmatic transition from the work Coach Emma Holloway put in over the last two seasons. We are eager to watch the growth and success of NYA girls tennis under their leadership!”

The team is poised to return to the postseason once again in 2025. The new leadership is aiming for a deeper tournament run. In the 2023-24 season, the Panthers played a challenging Western Maine Conference regular season schedule and earned the #9 Class C South seed. After upsetting the #8 seed in the preliminary round, they advanced to the quarter finals where their season ended at the hands of the #1 seed.

North Yarmouth Academy is an independent, college preparatory, coeducational school for toddlers to postgraduate students with an enrollment of over 400. Since 1814, NYA has fostered integrity, character, and intellect in its students. For more information about NYA, please visit our website at NYA.org.