Wayne State women’s tennis coach builds winning culture
DETROIT (BVM) — For most college athletes, having the chance to return to coach their alma mater is rare. Doing so just two years after their playing career ended is even less likely. But for Wayne State University (WSU) women’s tennis coach, Sheila Snyder, that opportunity presented itself in 1989.
That year, the position opened up to allow Allison Tookes to solely focus on one program. At the time, Tookes coached both the men’s and women’s squads at Wayne State. Ten years earlier, Tookes had become the first woman in the state of Michigan to coach a men’s team.
While she had just gotten married and was attending graduate school, Snyder couldn’t pass up the opportunity to lead the tennis program. Three decades later, she is ranked 11th in NCAA Division II all-time wins, and has developed one of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s (GLIAC) most consistent programs.
During her playing career, Snyder notched four letters as a member of the women’s tennis team (1983-1986) as well as the women’s basketball team (1983-1987). In the history of the women’s basketball program, she currently ranks in the top-20 in career games played, assists and career steals.
And, in a twist of irony, the women’s basketball head coach in her last two seasons was Gary Bryce — WSU’s long-time softball coach — who held the position from 1984-1992. Bryce and Snyder are now the school’s two longest-tenured coaches, with Snyder entering her 32nd year, while Bryce begins his fourth decade as softball head coach.
Since 2000, the Warriors’ women’s tennis team has consistently finished over .500. In that span, the team has posted a winning record and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament 12 times in the last 16 seasons.
However, over the last two seasons specifically, the team has experienced an amazing run of success. After falling one win short of the conference championship in 2017, the Warriors returned to the GLIAC Tournament in 2018. WSU knocked off the tournament’s No.1 seed and rival, Grand Valley State University, and defeated Northwood University to win its first conference postseason title since 2014.
The team followed up its success the following year by dominating the conference in regular-season play. WSU lost just six match points to opponents on its way to an unbeaten record (9-0), and won the program’s first regular-season title since 2014.
In the conference tournament, Wayne State mirrored its play in the regular season, sweeping all three opponents to repeat as GLIAC tournament champions — gaining the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The team appeared on the way to producing one of the best seasons in program history. WSU held a 17-3 record, ranked third in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Midwest Region rankings, and ranked in the top-20 nationally when the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Players credit Snyder’s ability to bring the roster together and keep the team focused on its goals as a factor in the squad’s recent success.
With competition in the GLIAC halted until January, exactly when the tennis team will return to the court is uncertain. But with their desire to stay at the top of the league, and Snyder’s steady leadership, the team is poised to remain a contender in the conference once play resumes.
