(Story courtesy of Centenary College)
SHREVEPORT, La. – The Centenary Department of Athletics and Director of Athletics and Wellness Ronda Seagraves announces the hiring of Greg Owens as the head men's and women's tennis coach, effective immediately. Owens will be assisted on staff by NAIA All-American and Centenary Hall of Famer Valerie Woolbert.
"We are excited to have both of these quality coaches on staff," said Seagraves. "Greg brings a tremendous motivational style of management and a great recruiting background from his time at Shorter University, where he was a successful coach. Valerie is one of our own and did an outstanding job assisting with the program last season. She was an exceptional tennis player here and her track record speaks for itself."
Owens joins the staff after spending the last seven seasons at Shorter University in Rome, Ga., where he coached six NAIA All-Americans and his squads posted GPAs of 3.45 or higher. During his time with the Hawks, the Los Angeles, Calif., native led the women's golf team to a 17th place finish at the NAIA National Championships and a Southern States Athletic Conference Championship while he was honored as the SSAC Coach of the Year.
Along with his coaching duties, Owens also served as a major gift officer for Shorter's institutional advancement office.
A graduate of the University of Arkansas, Owens received his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education while competing for the Razorbacks men's golf team. Owens also holds a Masters in Leadership from Shorter.
Woolbert returns for her second season as an assistant at her alma mater. Last season, she helped guide the Centenary netters to the fourth seed in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships.
As a standout for the Ladies, Woolbert posted a 35-15 record and finished second nationally in singles action in her first season. During her two seasons, she led the Ladies to back-to-back NAIA Division II state and regional titles along with fifth and seventh place finishes at the national championships.
