For the Longwood women’s tennis team, the past few days have been eventful. Beginning when former head coach Bruce Myers announced his resignation from the program on March 18, assistant women’s soccer coach Rich Stoneman was named interim head coach.
Myers was not made available for comment, but in an official statement, he said that he accepted the head coaching position of the men’s tennis team at the University of Delaware to be closer to his family.
"It was such a bittersweet announcement of my departure from Longwood. The University of Delaware is literally a homecoming for me. It is 35 minutes from my home and allows me to see my wife and five boys every night. My sister and brother-in-law are Delaware graduates, so I am very familiar with the university. My family is thrilled at the opportunity to see me every day, and I am very excited to get this chapter of my professional life underway,” stated Myers on March 18.
Just hours later, the Lancers hosted Winthrop University, who cruised to a 7-0 victory. The following morning, Gardner-Webb picked up a 5-2 win in Farmville, as the cloud of Myers’ stunning announcement continued to loom over the team.
“Honestly, we were all really shocked that he left,” said junior Anna Pelak. “And it’s a huge blow honestly for us because Bruce really helped us to work hard and keep believing in ourselves that we can win.”
Myers’ unexpected departure has raised several questions for the program in the short term, as well as the prospects beyond this season. For now, the team looks to regroup and rally under Stoneman for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, the athletics department has the task of replacing a man who brought a big turnaround to the program in a short amount of time.
Over a season and a half at the helm, Myers compiled a 16-21 record, including a 6-7 record this season. He brought a marked improvement to a team that had only won three times the season before his arrival and was named the 2014-15 Longwood Coach of the Year by the Longwood Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
But Myers took just as much pride in impacting his players’ lives outside of the court as he did in improving results.
“Knowing that I was able to touch my student-athletes' lives in so many different ways – not just on the tennis court through coaching and athletic development, but off the court with their personal and academic struggles and helping them to overcome all the adversity of being a Division I student-athlete in today's climate – is what I am most proud of,” said Myers in his statement.
“Coach Myers really helped me grow as a person. One of the things that I lack when I play tennis is my confidence,” said Pelak. “He actually really helped me grow on and off the court, but also helped me in a way to keep believing in myself.”
The team channeled that self-belief on March 25, rolling to a 6-1 road win over George Mason University, giving Stoneman his first win since being named interim head coach. Stoneman was not available for comment in time for the article, but Pelak spoke the effect he has had on the team.
“For our (George) Mason match, he was just very supportive of us, and just kept telling us to keep positive and keep believing in ourselves,” said Pelak. “And honestly I think that was a big factor of why we came away with that huge win.”
The win over the Patriots brought the Lancers to 7-9, ahead of another road clash on March 31, against Campbell University. With eight games remaining before the Big South Tournament, Pelak said keeping the team focused and untied is the key to a strong finish to the season.
“We are really close as a team, and we like to work together as a team. And we push ourselves every day to become better,” said Pelak. “So even though Bruce is gone, I do feel like we can work together as a team and try to even do better than last season."
Looking beyond the rest of this season, questions remain. Currently, there isn't a specified timetable on finding a permanent head coach, according to Chris Cook, the assistant vice president of athletics communications.
It is also unknown how the players will react after the end of the season, with Myers gone, or how the program will recruit without a permanent head coach. Pelak hopes the next coach brings the same qualities to the role as Myers.
“I think it’s very important to bring in another coach, such as Coach Myers, who will help us improve even more,” said Pelak. “Because I do find that our team has a lot of potential, and we just need someone there to guide us along with our tennis.”
*EDITOR'S NOTE - 3/30 9:53 am: Amended from print version in second to last paragraph to attribute timetable and change from "not known" to say not specified - the wording used by Longwood athletics.*
