Not one for the spotlight, Park City High School girls’ tennis head coach Lori McMahon has been recently been thrust into it.

The 13-year head coach at PCHS has been named the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) 2010 Utah State Coach of the Year for girls’ tennis.

“My passion has always been to teach and coach tennis,” McMahon told The Park Record. “I am truly an advocate of high school sports and believe in giving all young people a chance to be part of a team.”

McMahon gave credit to her mother who gave her the knowledge and love of tennis.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to coach the Park City High School girls’ tennis team,” she said.

She prides herself on preaching team unity and togetherness and working to be a cohesive unit.

Her team took second place in 3A in 2010 finishing just two points shy of three-time state champ Desert Hills. Solveig Karlsen won the 3A girls’ No. 2 singles championship under McMahon in 2010, while Alex Oriente and Stormy Dvorak each took second place in their singles championships.

“To teach and influence a young person to play tennis, the sport for a lifetime, and to learn about themselves and develop as a person along the way is why I coach,” she said. “Plus, to be a small part of all these girls’ lives has been extremely rewarding and way too much fun.”

She said she is proud that most of her players have gone on to college and become successful at most anything they have done. McMahon gave most of the credit for the recent string of success by the PCHS tennis team to her players not to herself.

“I want to thank all the young women that have believed in themselves and have given their time and effort to their tennis and their respective teams,” she said.

McMahon also thanked all her assistant coaches over the years, the parents of her players, and athletic director Doug Payne for “believing in me all these years.”

She added: “Coaching is definitely a group effort. It has and will continue to be fun, wild and a very rewarding ride for all of us.”

McMahon will be honored at a Park City School District board meeting on March 8.