An outstanding performer while a member of the Aztec squad, 2000-2001 will be Susheel Gulati[apos]s (pronounced [quote]Soo-SHEEL gu-LAH-tee[quote]) fifth season as the assistant coach for San Diego State University. Already in possession of excellent technical ability, Gulati spent the 1995-96 season honing her coaching skills at the University of California-San Diego. As the assistant coach for the women[apos]s program at UCSD, she helped the Tritons to a top-10 finish in Division III.
Starting for San Diego State from 1992-93, Gulati helped lead the Aztecs to first and second place finishes in the Western Athletic Conference, as well as a second round appearnace at the NCAA Tournament in 1992.
An All-Western Athletic Conference selection following San Diego State[apos]s 1992 campaign, Gulati compiled a 17-7 singles record and an 11-6 record in doubles. She was instrumental in helping the Aztecs advance to the second round of the NCAA Championship as she won both a singles and doubles matches in SDSU[apos]s first round victory versus Kansas.
San Diego State[apos]s 1993 season was a breakthrough year for Gulati. As a senior, she recorded a 14-11 singles slate and a 19-5 mark in doubles. Again named all-WAC in both singles and doubles, she teamed with Nicole Storto for one of the best doubles combinations in the nation.
The Aztec duo advanced to the second round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament with straight-sets victories. Both Storto and Gulati earned All-American honors in 1993, as the doubles team ended the season ninth in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association national rankings.
A tenacious competitor, she was both a top performer on the court and in the classroom. An honor roll member and recipient of the 1992 San Diego State Scholar Athlete Award, Gulati was also named as a regional winner of the prestigious NCAA Woman-of-the-Year Award in [apos]93 for her athletic achievement, academic excellence, service and leadership.
Gulati began her collegiate career at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas, where, as a sophomore, she ranked third in NJCAA singles play. That same year she led Tyler JC to a second-place finish at the NJCAA national championships. For her outstanding play while at Tyler JC, Gulati was the national recipient of the ITA/Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sportsmanship Award, a national junior college award.
Susheel Gulati was born on March 18, 1971. She is a native of London, England, where she prepped at the Latymer School. But Gulati[apos]s tennis career did not begin in high school. Exposed to competitive tennis at a young age, she traveled throughout Europe as a member of both the English 12-and-under, 14-and-under as well as 16-and-under national teams.
Gulati received a bachelor[apos]s degree in psychology from San Diego State in 1993 and earned a master[apos]s from SDSU in May 2000 in sports psychology.