As the top girls prep tennis players prepare for the blistering serves and rapid volleys at the state-championship tourney, Brighton High’s team has a courtside advantage.
Coach Natalie Meyer.
Meyer, the longtime Bengals coach, is the premier high school girls tennis coach in the country — an achievement that should not be at all surprising to tennis fans in the Salt Lake Valley who have watched Meyer lead the Bengal tennis program over the past two decades.
The selection of the former NCAA tennis standout as the National Girls Tennis Coach of the Year was announced in early 2025 by the National Federation of State High Schol Associations. She was one of 10 prep coaches — and the sole one from Utah — honored for their work in girls athletics.
“I reflect on my program … and I think that I have always tried to do my best,” Meyer said after receiving the award. “But the awards are not why I am doing it. I don’t do this for the awards. I do this for the kids.”
The 35-year educator who helms mathematics classes when not on the court with the 5A Brighton aces first picked up a racket in grade school. That was it: It was love, all.
The sport that has made stars of such world-class athletes as Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, and Venus and Serena Wiliams became a family endeavor. As Meyer grew and rose through the ranks, her family was a fixture at tournaments and in associations that supported the growth of tennis as both a marquee sport and recreational pastime.
Meyer has a personal — and emotional tie — to Brighton’s tennis program: She was once a member of the Bengal championship-winning tennis team. She counts her team and doubles state championships among her major accomplishments in high school.
Earning the head-coach position at Brighton for both the boys and girls teams has been a dream come true for Meyer, who was named the Utah High School Activities Association’s 5A State Coach of the Year in 2018-2019 and the UHSAA Girls Tennis Coach of the Year in 2023-2024.
Under her guidance, the BHS players work hard. They maintain positive attitudes. They are committed to extending the storied program’s reputation as a state powerhouse.
“They set the bar of excellence for themselves,” she says.
Win or lose, she reminds her players to think about what worked, what didn’t work, and what can be done about it.
“There is always going to be a defeat. It’s so hard when you watch a player give 110 percent — but come off the court in tears because they didn’t get what they wanted,” she said. “We all talk about winning and losing … but it’s so much more than that. Being part of team, you learn so much about yourself, doing things you never thought you could do.”
The finals of the UHSAA state girls state tennis tournament will be played at Liberty Park Tennis Center in Salt Lake City. The 6A tourney is Oct. 2 and Oct. 4. Teams and individuals vying for 4A state trophies will play Oct. 3 and Oct. 4. Final matches for 5A players will be Oct. 9 and Oct. 11.
