Christine Franek has been named Auburn assistant women’s tennis coach after serving seven seasons as the head women’s tennis coach at Wellesley College (Mass.), announced head coach Tim Gray.

“I am extremely excited to have a quality coach like Christine Franek joining our tennis staff,” Gray said. “Her experience will be an invaluable asset to our program.”

Franek coached Wellesley to four-straight New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Championships (2004-07) and earned two straight NEWMAC Sportsmanship Awards.

In 2008, the team qualified for the NCAA Div. III Championship for a fifth-straight year, advancing to the third round. Franek also coached two individuals to the NCAA Singles/Doubles Championships for the fourth consecutive year.

At Wellesley Franek also served as the assistant professor of physical education, while teaching courses in tennis, strength training and fusion fitness.

“I am very excited about joining the Auburn program,” Franek said. “I have a lot of respect for what Tim Gray has done. I have had an opportunity to see some of the women, and I am very impressed. I am looking forward to playing a supportive role.”

Before joining Wellesley, she served as a teacher and girls’ varsity tennis coach at Newton (Mass.) High School from 1997-2001. Franek served as associate director of development at the 1997 World-Scholar Athlete Games, Institute for International Sport in Kingston, R.I., from 1995-1996 and had a previous stint with the organization from 1993-1994, serving as the director of theme days.

She was the field manager and legislative correspondent and research assistant to Senator John H. Chafee from 1994-1995, and served as overseas presenter for Youth For Understanding International Exchange in 1993.

A native of East Greenwich, R.I., Franek graduated from Brown University in 1992 with a bachelor of arts in international relations (international diplomacy and foreign policy and German) and earned her master’s of education from Harvard in 1997.

The 38-year-old was a member of the Brown University varsity women’s tennis team from 1988-1992, serving as captain from 1991-1992 and being a part of the 1991 Ivy League Championship team. She finished fourth in the USTA 5.0 National Championship in 1994.