St. Mary’s College of Maryland Director of Athletics and Recreation, Crystal Gibson, announced Sona Hussian as the interim head coach for men’s and women’s tennis on Monday afternoon (March 6). Hussian took over her duties effective March 3 and claimed her first head coaching win on Sunday (March 5) with a 5-4 win over Goucher College.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Sona to lead our men’s and women’s tennis programs this spring. Throughout this short process, she stood out as the right person to lead our student-athletes both on and off the court,” said Gibson.
Hussian, who spent the 2021-22 season as well as the first half of the 2022-23 campaign as an assistant on the previous head coach, Greg Shedd’s, coaching staff, takes over for Shedd who stepped down to pursue an employment opportunity outside of athletics.
“Coach Shedd built up a strong team and I’m ready to pick up where he left off. I’m excited to transition from assistant coach to head coach and I’m ready to support the team however I can to have another successful season,” said Hussian.
Hussian inherits men’s and women’s tennis teams, which combined for 70 wins, nine conference tournament appearances, two NCAA tournament berths, two United East Conference Tournament Championship titles, and two United East regular-season titles during Shedd’s seven-year tenure (2013-15, 2018-2023).
The Bucks County, Pa., native was a travel club tennis team member at The Pennsylvania State University from 2014-2018. Before playing tennis at Penn State, Hussian was the No. 1 singles player at Pennsbury High School for four years.
Hussian is a yoga instructor (RYT 200) at Evolve Yoga Studio in California, Md when not on the court. She also conducts tennis lessons in California, focusing on form, technique, and improving the overall tennis game.
Hussian graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 2018 with a B.A. in psychology. She utilized her degree as a team leader at Pathways, Inc., promoting the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of persons served, especially the marginalized and vulnerable, through person-centered, shared exploration of pathways to healthy living and strengthened support systems.