By
Ron Smith
August 21, 2025
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Robert Ruiz, Westmont's director of athletics, has announced the hiring of Sheila Snyder as the next head coach of Westmont Women's Tennis.
"I am thrilled to welcome Sheila as the program's new head coach," said Ruiz. "She has an impressive history of building a very successful Division II women's tennis program, developing leaders, and fostering excellence in the team culture that she has created.
"What stands out most for me is her deep desire to mentor her athletes and to invest in the development of a strong team culture."
Snyder served as the women's tennis head coach at Wayne State (Mich.) for 35 years where she tallied 438 coaching victories. That win total ranks ninth in NCAA DII women's tennis history. In her final 19 years leading the Wayne State program, Snyder's teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament 14 times. In the 2022-23 season, the team won the program's first Round of 16 match and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Three times, Snyder was named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Coach of the Year as well as the ITA Regional Coach of the Year.
"I am excited to join a faith-based community where I can help the students grow – not only as athletes, but in their character and spirit," said Snyder.
Asked what her players should know about her, Snyder replied, "I am a mom, myself. I have raised three college athletes. I care so much about our players' wellbeing. On the court, I am going to develop them as tennis players. But, I am also going to help mold them as young women, mentor them, and hopefully maintain a relationship with them the rest of their lives.
"That is who I am. I develop and nurture college athletes. We are going to work hard and compete. We are going to trust the process, we are going to get better every day – and we are going to have fun doing it. I try to create a family atmosphere – that family away from home."
Snyder holds a master of science in exercise physiology and a bachelor of science in physical education, both from Wayne State.
Regarding developing tennis players, the veteran coach said, "Every day, we are going to look to be a better version of ourselves than we were yesterday. In the end, I want to create a competitive environment and I want them to be successful. At the same time we want to do it with integrity and do it the right way. I will be trying to set a foundation for all of this growth from the first day.
"I think I can come to Westmont and make a difference in the program. I want to work with hardworking young women who are coachable, good teammates, give to the community and have a good attitude. I want players that are hungry, who buy in, and who want to be better."
"We look forward to all of the ways that Coach Snyder will contribute to building the foundation of our Division II era women's tennis program," noted Ruiz.
"What sold me was how lovely I found everybody in the athletic department," said Snyder. "I'd like to thank Robert for giving me the opportunity to see the school and meet as many people as I did. It was meeting them that made me think to myself, 'I am extremely lucky to have another opportunity to coach in such a rich environment.' I am looking forward to this next chapter and helping to get this program going."
Snyder becomes the ninth head coach of the Westmont women's tennis program and will guide the program into its 52nd year.
Joining Snyder on the coaching staff is former Westmont player Ava Verchimak, who became familiar with Snyder while in Michigan.
"I am very thankful to welcome Ava back to Westmont and look forward to her contributions to the team as our new women's tennis assistant coach," said Ruiz. "She is a committed leader who is an alumna of the college and the program. Her ability to resonate with the unique challenges our athletes face and to walk alongside them on their journey is going to increase our ability to continue growing the program exponentially. The fact that she is familiar with Coach Snyder is a nice bonus, making for a seamless transition as we begin the new semester."
