Former Rutgers-Camden women’s tennis star Laurel DiStefano returns to the Scarlet Raptors for her second season as an assistant coach. DiStefano, who completed her stellar Scarlet Raptor career in 2023, rejoined the program during the 2024-25 scholastic year as an assistant coach for both the women’s and men’s tennis teams.
DiStefano played three seasons with the women’s program from 2019-20 through 2022-23. She compiled a stellar 53-36 record despite missing three semesters due to the pandemic (the cancelled spring and fall semesters in 2020 and the shortened 2021 spring semester). That lost time possibly cost her a shot at the program’s all-time record of 78 wins.
DiStefano ranks fifth on the program’s career list with her 53 overall victories. Her 27 career singles wins rank fourth and she is tied for fifth with 26 doubles wins.
Combining with Samantha Hoban as a doubles pair, the duo posted 10 victories, the 10th-highest career total of any combination in program history.
DiStefano made her collegiate debut during the 2019 fall semester, posting an overall 14-5 record. She was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Women’s Tennis Rookie of the Week on Sept. 30. After Covid-19 interrupted her collegiate career over the next three semesters, she returned during the 2021-22 scholastic year to compile an overall mark of 20-18. She capped off her collegiate career in 2022-23 with an overall mark of 19-13, while serving as one of the tennis team’s co-captains.
In addition to her talents on the court, DiStefano was an outstanding student who majored in Psychology and had a minor in Childhood Studies. As a senior in 2022-23, she was Rutgers-Camden’s female NJAC Academic First Team representative and she earned NJAC Academic Honorable Mention the previous year. A Dean’s List student and perennial member of the Rutgers-Camden Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, she compiled a perfect 4.0 GPA during both the 2020 and 2022 spring semesters.
DiStefano was a three-year tennis letterwinner at Washington Township High School, who was the USTA #1 Player of the Year and the team MVP as a senior. She also was a JV basketball player and a National Honor Society member.
DiStefano majored in Psychology and had a minor in Childhood Studies at Rutgers-Camden, graduating in 2023. She currently is pursuing a Master of Occupational Therapy at Thomas Jefferson University.
