Sheila Snyder
Sheila Snyder completed her 23rd year as head coach of the Wayne State University women's tennis team in 2011-12 and guided the team to a program-best 22-3 record. Snyder has led the Warriors to a record of 222-146 since taking over in 1989. She has also coached the program to six NCAA Tournament appearances in the last seven seasons.
In addition to qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, Snyder’s 2010-11 squad won 15 matches which was a tie for third-most in school history.
The 2009-10 team earned its 16th win - second-most in WSU history - in the first round of the NCAA Tournament over Ferris State. It was the second straight year that the Warriors claimed an NCAA Tournament win, the first being over Ashland, 5-0, 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 150th collegiate victory when WSU 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.
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 19-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 women’s tennis team’s coach in 1989 as she was a four-time letterwinner on both the WSU women's basketball and women's tennis teams as an undergrad.
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 Twp., Mich., with their three children, Kelsey, Carli and Cale.
