by TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Northeastern State women’s tennis coach Amanda Stone (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) has announced her resignation from Northeastern State University effective September 9.
She has also announced that she has been selected as the head women’s tennis coach at Louisiana Tech University, which is located in Ruston, Louisiana. The Lady Techsters are members of Conference USA and compete at the NCAA Division I level.
“I’ve enjoyed my time here at NSU and would like to thank President Steve Turner and (Director of Athletics) Tony Duckworth for giving me my first opportunity to serve as a head coach,” Stone said. “It meant a lot to me personally to begin my head coaching career where I played and earned my degrees. I’m very proud of what RiverHawks Tennis was able to accomplish in the nearly five years I led the program. I wish this team and the other sports programs the best of luck in the future.”
Three of the first four hires for Duckworth at NSU have now moved on to Division I opportunities. Former baseball coach Travis Janssen is now the head coach at Austin Peay State University, and Cedrique Flemming, Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations, was recently hired as the head Assistant Director for Sports Information at Texas State University.
“Amanda has made the most of her first intercollegiate head coaching position. NSU has a rich history in women’s tennis, and one that enhances our campus diversity with their international presence,” Duckworth said. “Given her desire was to become an NCAA D-I coach, this is a great opportunity for her to continue a promising career.”
Stone guided the RiverHawks to an 86-20 record during her four years at Northeastern State. The two-time MIAA Coach of the Year led the green and white to three-consecutive MIAA Regular Season Championships and three NCAA Central Region Championships.
NSU won at least 20 matches all four years Stone was at the helm, and the team also advanced to the NCAA Championship Round of 16 each season.
She took over an unranked program that was coming off a 10-9 campaign, and she has since catapulted the RiverHawks all the way up to their current position of No. 10 in the nation. The placement is the highest ranking in school history.
Stone has boasted two ITA All-Americans, one ITA Central Region Senior Player of the Year, one ITA Central Region Player to Watch, one MIAA Player of the Year, and two MIAA Freshmen of the Year. Of the 15 players who have gone through the program since Stone took over in 2013, 14 have earned All-MIAA honors at least once. Those 14 student-athletes have amassed 38 all-conference accolades. NSU has also accumulated an MIAA-high 16 player of the week honors over the past four years.
The RiverHawks are also one of the nation’s top academic programs. Over the last four years, NSU has touted one CoSIDA Academic First Team All-American, four CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees, eight ITA Scholar-Athletes, one MIAA Academic Excellence award winner, 10 MIAA Scholar-Athletes and 13 members of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.
“Because of my time at NSU, I feel confident and prepared transitioning to Louisiana Tech,” Stone said. “I’m excited to get started with a team that has already established a solid foundation. I’m ready for the chance to move the program forward. I am very impressed with Ruston, and I am proud to be part of a university that strives for both academic and athletic excellence.”
Stone attended Northeastern State from 2004-07, where she served as one half of the top doubles tandem and played anywhere from No. 3 to No. 5 singles. She made two national tournament appearances, attained a No. 11 national doubles ranking in 2007 and posted an undefeated singles mark her senior year. She earned a Bachelor of Art degree in mass communications and a Master of Science degree in kinesiology from NSU.
