Wayne State University Women's Tennis

Snyder will begin her 28th year as head coach of the Wayne State University women's tennis team in the fall of 2016. Under Snyder's leadership, junior Andreea Mitrache was the GLIAC Athlete of the Year selection after her undefeated performance in No. 1 singles during the 2015 fall season.  She is the third Warriors in the last six years to be voted GLIAC Athlete of the Year joining Sharon Gill (2010) and Kristina Goranskaya (2011).  She was named GLIAC Coach of the Year in Fall 2014 after leading the Warriors to an undefeated 15-0 season, which included a GLIAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships collecting an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.  In the spring of 2015, Snyder was selected as the ITA Regional Coach of the Year after leading the Warriors to the second most wins and the best winning percentage in program history (minimum 15 matches). WSU finished the season ranked third in the region and 24th in the nation by the ITA. Snyder has led WSU to a 307-171 (.642) record since taking over in 1989. She has coached the program to nine NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 11 seasons. In 2013-14, Snyder helped lead the program to the NCAA Round of 16 for the first time in school history. The Warriors won their first NCAA Midwest Regional title, defeating Northwood for the first time since 1995 in the regional finals. Wayne State also established a new record for wins in a season with 25. WSU also reached the GLIAC Tournament title match for the first time in program history in 2013-14. She guided the 2012-13 squad to a 19-7 record, which included a 14-match win streak during the fall season, and its second consecutive runner-up finish in the GLIAC regular season standings. Four players earned All-GLIAC honors, including sophomore Yahsha Moore and freshman Julia Kamenko, who were each named First Team All-GLIAC. Snyder guided the squad to a program-best 22-3 record during the 2011-12 campaign, but the Warriors just missed qualifying for the NCAA tournament as only five teams from the Midwest Region were granted post-season bids (WSU was ranked sixth). In addition to the 2011-12 squad setting the school record for wins (22), Snyder also coached the GLIAC Player of the Year in Goranskaya. A year prior (2010-11), the Warriors won 15 matches, which is tied for fourth-most in school history, and made their third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.  Gill was voted GLIAC Player of the Year by the league's coaches, the first in school history.  She was also a four-time First Team All-GLIAC selection, while Goranskaya was voted to the All-GLIAC First Team her last three seasons after being named to the All-GLIAC Second Team as a freshman. The 2009-10 team earned its 16th win - tied for third-most in WSU history - in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a victory over Ferris State. It was the second straight year that the Warriors claimed an NCAA Tournament win, the first being a 5-0 triumph over Ashland in 2008. Her 2004-05 squad became the first in school history to qualify as a team for the NCAA tournament while the 2006-07 team made it a three-peat in terms of NCAA tournament appearances. Snyder collected her 300th collegiate victory when the Warriors defeated Hillsdale in the 2015 GLIAC Tournament on October 23.  She had notched her 200th victory when WSU defeated Valparaiso on April 10, 2011 and recorded win No. 150 when Wayne State defeated Saginaw Valley on Sept. 21, 2007. She tallied her 100th win four years prior when the Warriors defeated Lake Superior in the 2003 GLIAC tournament. Over the last 13 seasons, Synder has mentored 15 First Team All-GLIAC selections, 12 Second Team All-GLIAC honorees and 10 Honorable Mention All-GLIAC selections for a total of 37 All-League honorees. Besides Gill and Goranskaya, Natalya Natyshak (a 2011 WSU Athletic Hall of Fame) was First Team All-GLIAC in both 2002 and 2004.  Other former student-athletes to earn multiple all-league accolades were Amanda Presotto (First Team in 2006 plus Honorable Mention in both 2004 and 2005), Dee Mays (Second Team in both 2005 and 2006), Steph Nicolson (Second Team in 2003, 2005 and 2006), and Jennifer Bradford (Honorable Mention in 2008 and 2009). Over the last 12 seasons, Snyder has had 39 Academic All-GLIAC selections, including three-time honorees Debora Correa, Sharon Gill, Tanya Joseph, Jessica Kruczek, Megan Luzod, Amanda Pressotto, and Milena Vuksanovic.  Two-time Academic All-League honorees are Monica Cushard, McCall Monte, and Stephanie Van Tuyl. Snyder began her career at WSU first as a graduate assistant in the Physical Education department in 1987, and then was hired as an instructor where she served for 12 years before becoming the intramural director. She was hired as the head coach of the women's tennis team in 1989. During her 26-year tenure, Snyder has also been a physical education instructor at Macomb County Community College (1993-96) and an exercise physiologist for General Motors (1993-95). Snyder was no stranger to the Warrior program when she became the womens tennis teams coach in 1989 as she was a four-time letterwinner on both the WSU women's basketball and women's tennis teams as an undergraduate. Snyder played basketball at WSU from 1983-87 and tennis from 1983-86. She earned four letters in each sport while being named team captain on the women's basketball team in 1986-87. For her career, Snyder played in 108 games and scored 552 points while totaling 230 assists. Her name can be found throughout the WSU record brooks as Snyder (formerly Sheila Baron) ranks seventh in career games played, 14th in career assists and 17th in career steals (142). She was named all-conference in tennis in 1986 and was voted GLIAC Coach of the Year in 1994. Snyder and her husband, Bill, live in Macomb Township, and they have three children, Kelsey, Carli and Cale. Kelsey graduated from Ohio Dominican with a bachlor's in education and was a four-year letterwinner in volleyball, while Carli is attending the University of Florida and is junior outside hitter on the volleyball team. She also helped Macomb Dakota High School to the 2012 MHSAA Division I state volleyball title and was named Michigan's  2013 Miss Volleyball .   * - NCAA tournament appearance (won a first round match in both 2009 and 2010). # - Wayne State won its first NCAA regional title in program history and reached the NCAA Round of 16 for the first time. ^ - Wayne State won its first GLIAC Tournament title under the league's current format and first regular season title since 1982.