Springfield, Ohio – After leading the Wittenberg University men’s and women’s tennis teams to a combined 155 victories since 2008 as the program’s first-ever full-time head coach, Justin Stuckey has resigned to accept the same position at McPherson College.
McPherson is a liberal arts institution located in McPherson, Kan., that offers athletics scholarships as a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams at McPherson were ranked nationally during the 2013-14 school year, with the Bulldog women advancing to the NAIA Tournament for the first time in program history.
At Wittenberg, Stuckey guided the Tigers to records of 85-53 on the men’s side and 70-55 for the women. Wittenberg’s men posted a winning record in each of Stuckey’s six seasons, highlighted by a ranking of 20th in the NCAA Division III Central Region at the conclusion of the 2012-13 season and a school record 17 victories in the 2011-12 season. The women’s team set a new program standard with 19 wins in the 2010-11 season en route to a fifth-place finish in the rugged North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC).
Wittenberg student-athletes earned a total of 23 All-NCAC awards under Stuckey’s tutelage.
“We are grateful for all of Justin’s contributions to Wittenberg University and the Department of Athletics,” said Director of Athletics and Recreation Gary Williams. “We wish him all the best in the next phase of his career.”
Stuckey is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was a standout on the tennis courts at Moeller High School. He went on to a stellar collegiate career at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC. He led the Golden Bulls to four consecutive conference championships, winning two league doubles titles and one singles championship, and he helped the team reach the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2004.
Williams said a national search for Stuckey’s replacement will begin immediately.
Written By: Ryan Maurer