Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame
Adams, Karen
Karen Adams
- Induction:
- 2022
Coach. Administrator. Educator.
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These are some of the titles held by Karen Adams during her 37-year career at Lehigh. Adams was a successful coach for both the women’s tennis and volleyball programs upon her arrival in 1980 and translated that success into a 30-plus year run in Lehigh’s senior administration where she continued to uphold the educational mission and values of Lehigh Athletics.
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A native of Pitman, N.J., Adams was hired to lead Lehigh’s women’s tennis program in April 1980 and two months later was also selected to coach the volleyball team.
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Under Adams’ leadership, Lehigh women’s tennis enjoyed sustained success during the 1980s. The Brown and White won five conference championships during Adams’ tenure, including the 1982 squad which captured the ECC title to give Lehigh its first women’s conference championship team. The 1982 triumph started a run of four consecutive ECC championships.
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Adams amassed a 134-56 record while guiding the women’s tennis program, good for an impressive .684 winning percentage. Her student-athletes won 19 singles and 16 doubles championships during her tenure. Lehigh won four consecutive ECC fall titles from 1982 through 1985 and added several Philadelphia Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (PAIAW) and Lehigh Valley Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (LVAIAW) titles.
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On the volleyball court, Adams guided Lehigh to a 109-88 record (.533) from 1980 through 1984, winning at least 18 matches in each season, including a trio of 20-win campaigns (1981, 1982, 1984).
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In June 1985, Adams was selected to succeed Judy Turner Baxter as Lehigh’s Assistant Director of Athletics and Primary Woman Administrator. She gave up her volleyball coaching responsibilities and continued to serve as women’s tennis coach through the end of the 1989 season. Adams returned to the sidelines to coach the volleyball team in its final six matches of the 2006 campaign.
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In her administrative role, Adams was responsible for the athletic department's financial operations and had staff and sport program oversight. Adams served for 31 years as Lehigh’s Senior Woman Administrator, was elevated to an associate athletic director in 1988 and finally into her Senior Associate Director of Athletics role in 1991.
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In 1993, Adams became the first woman to serve as the Director of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championship. She also served on the NCAA Division I women’s tennis committee that oversees the championship.
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Prior to her retirement at the end of the 2015-16 academic year, Lehigh’s Graduating Female Athlete Award was renamed in Adams’ honor. The Karen A. Adams Graduating Female Athlete Award recognizes a female student-athlete that compiled the most distinctive athletic record during her time at Lehigh.
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In the fall 2022, Adams was recognized as one of Lehigh’s five Patriot League Trailblazers of Distinction, an initiative across all league institutions to recognize the accomplishments of some of their most impactful women leaders during the Title IX era. Lewandowski and her fellow Trailblazers were formally recognized at the Lehigh-Lafayette women’s basketball game on Feb. 4, 2023.
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A standout athlete at Temple University, Adams earned 11 varsity letters, competing in field hockey, tennis, swimming, basketball and bowling. She also participated in gymnastics and was a four-year member of the synchronized swimming team.
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Adams’ thirst for competition continued throughout her Lehigh career and remains strong in retirement. She still competes actively at the senior level in basketball, softball, volleyball, tennis and paddle tennis.
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Adams earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Temple in 1965 and added a master’s of education from Lehigh in 1989 as well as a doctorate of education from Temple in 1998.
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Upon her retirement from Lehigh, Adams relocated to Florida. She has four adult children: David, Doug, Dwight and Katherine; and 12 grandchildren.
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These are some of the titles held by Karen Adams during her 37-year career at Lehigh. Adams was a successful coach for both the women’s tennis and volleyball programs upon her arrival in 1980 and translated that success into a 30-plus year run in Lehigh’s senior administration where she continued to uphold the educational mission and values of Lehigh Athletics.
Â
A native of Pitman, N.J., Adams was hired to lead Lehigh’s women’s tennis program in April 1980 and two months later was also selected to coach the volleyball team.
Â
Under Adams’ leadership, Lehigh women’s tennis enjoyed sustained success during the 1980s. The Brown and White won five conference championships during Adams’ tenure, including the 1982 squad which captured the ECC title to give Lehigh its first women’s conference championship team. The 1982 triumph started a run of four consecutive ECC championships.
Â
Adams amassed a 134-56 record while guiding the women’s tennis program, good for an impressive .684 winning percentage. Her student-athletes won 19 singles and 16 doubles championships during her tenure. Lehigh won four consecutive ECC fall titles from 1982 through 1985 and added several Philadelphia Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (PAIAW) and Lehigh Valley Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (LVAIAW) titles.
Â
On the volleyball court, Adams guided Lehigh to a 109-88 record (.533) from 1980 through 1984, winning at least 18 matches in each season, including a trio of 20-win campaigns (1981, 1982, 1984).
Â
In June 1985, Adams was selected to succeed Judy Turner Baxter as Lehigh’s Assistant Director of Athletics and Primary Woman Administrator. She gave up her volleyball coaching responsibilities and continued to serve as women’s tennis coach through the end of the 1989 season. Adams returned to the sidelines to coach the volleyball team in its final six matches of the 2006 campaign.
Â
In her administrative role, Adams was responsible for the athletic department's financial operations and had staff and sport program oversight. Adams served for 31 years as Lehigh’s Senior Woman Administrator, was elevated to an associate athletic director in 1988 and finally into her Senior Associate Director of Athletics role in 1991.
Â
In 1993, Adams became the first woman to serve as the Director of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championship. She also served on the NCAA Division I women’s tennis committee that oversees the championship.
Â
Prior to her retirement at the end of the 2015-16 academic year, Lehigh’s Graduating Female Athlete Award was renamed in Adams’ honor. The Karen A. Adams Graduating Female Athlete Award recognizes a female student-athlete that compiled the most distinctive athletic record during her time at Lehigh.
Â
In the fall 2022, Adams was recognized as one of Lehigh’s five Patriot League Trailblazers of Distinction, an initiative across all league institutions to recognize the accomplishments of some of their most impactful women leaders during the Title IX era. Lewandowski and her fellow Trailblazers were formally recognized at the Lehigh-Lafayette women’s basketball game on Feb. 4, 2023.
Â
A standout athlete at Temple University, Adams earned 11 varsity letters, competing in field hockey, tennis, swimming, basketball and bowling. She also participated in gymnastics and was a four-year member of the synchronized swimming team.
Â
Adams’ thirst for competition continued throughout her Lehigh career and remains strong in retirement. She still competes actively at the senior level in basketball, softball, volleyball, tennis and paddle tennis.
Â
Adams earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Temple in 1965 and added a master’s of education from Lehigh in 1989 as well as a doctorate of education from Temple in 1998.
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Upon her retirement from Lehigh, Adams relocated to Florida. She has four adult children: David, Doug, Dwight and Katherine; and 12 grandchildren.
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