Russell Sterns begins his 27th season as head coach of the men’s tennis team as only the second men’s tennis coach in school history — replacing former coach and hall of famer Brother Emmett Strohmeyer.
Sterns has amassed an overall record of 270-197 and a 167-133 record since moving from the NAIA to NCAA Division II in 2000. From 1987 to 1999, while St. Edward’s was a member of the Heart of Texas Conference, Sterns led the program to a 62-7 record and five conference titles, making it the men’s program with the highest number of wins in the conference. The Hilltoppers advanced to the NAIA National Tournament twice (1998 and 1999), with individual players advancing six additional years (1990, 1992, 1994–1997).
Since joining the NCAA in 2000, the men’s tennis program has won seven Heartland Conference championships, including the last five consecutively, and has finished either first or second in the South Central region six times. The program qualified for the NCAA National Tournament 12 times, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2000, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and to the Elite Eight in 2006, 2010 and 2011. Since 2000, Sterns has led the Hilltoppers to a 76-19 record in the Heartland Conference, being undefeated in four of the last five years.
For his efforts, Sterns has been honored with 11 Conference Coach of the Year awards and named the South Central Region Coach of the Year in 2004. Sterns also served 20 years as the head women’s tennis coach from 1989 to 2009, earning Conference Coach of the Year five times and culminating with a Sweet 16 finish in 2009.
Sterns came to St. Edward’s to play for the Hilltoppers in 1982, after transferring from Temple Junior College. During both his junior and senior years, his team qualified for the NAIA National Tournament after winning the conference championship. Individually, Sterns was a conference finalist his junior year and the conference singles champion his senior year. He was also the #2 ranked tennis player in the state of Texas in the United States Tennis Association (USTA) 35s division.
Sterns earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration in 1985 and a master’s degree in Sports Management in 1999, both from St. Edward’s University. A resident of San Marcos, Texas, Sterns is the proud father of Aaron, a structural engineer living in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Jessica.
