Melinda Descant, LSUA Tennis Head Coach, has earned national recognition for being named the 2023 Wilson ITA Coach of the Year.
Amidst a wave of coaching changes within the LSU Alexandria Athletic Department, Coach Descant has played a vital role in guiding new coaches through the intricacies of the university and campus dynamics. Leveraging her nine years of experience and remarkable success, she has provided invaluable support to emerging coaches, aiding them in their transition from assistant to head coach, as well as in various other areas of need.
Coach Descant's teams consistently set the academic standard in the department, boasting an impressive average GPA of over 3.7 for the past two years and achieving a remarkable graduation rate of over 90%. Over the last two years, Coach Descant has demonstrated an extraordinary winning streak, remaining undefeated in regular season matches with a flawless 15-0 record in 2022 and a commendable 12-0 record in 2023. Under her guidance, the Generals achieved their highest ranking at #3 in 2022, and they have maintained a strong presence, entering the NAIA National tournament as the #4 seed in 2023.
In 2022, Coach Descant led her team to the national semifinals, marking their best finish to date. Her outstanding performance earned her the title of RRAC Coach of the Year in the same year. In 2023, her team excelled in the ITA Indoor National tournament, reaching the national semifinals before narrowly falling to the eventual champions, Keiser University. With a remarkable winning percentage of over 75%, Coach Descant's overall record for the past nine years stands at an impressive 111-36. Since the inception of the program in 2015, every team under Coach Descant's guidance has qualified for the national tournament.
Tyler Unsicker, Director of Athletics at LSUA, offered his congratulations, “This award is a true testament to your coaching and teaching ability. You have been doing the little things over the last nine years that have put you in a place with the NAIA Tennis community and your peers to be so deserving of this award. We are excited for you and blessed to have you at the helm of our Women’s Tennis team.”
The LSUA community extends its heartfelt congratulations to Coach Melinda Descant on this well-deserved recognition, and we eagerly anticipate her future accomplishments in the realm of collegiate athletics.
Written by wearecollegiatetennis.com