MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead head tennis coach
Alexis Konecne has announced she is stepping away from the program effective immediately. Konecne departs MSUM after a successful three-year stint at the helm of the tennis program.
"I want to thank coach Konecne for elevating our tennis program back to a high, competitive level. Alexis has played a significant role in our tennis team over the past decade in three different roles," said MSUM athletic director
Chad Markuson. "She was a stand out student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach. We wish her all the best in the next chapter of her life."
Konecne's third season in 2024-25 truly saw her implement her vision for Dragon tennis as MSUM once again qualified for the NSIC Tournament. The Dragons would supplant fourth-seeded UMary on April 25 to advance to the NSIC Semifinals. MSUM collected 12 dual wins in 2024-25 and Konecne was named the NSIC's Coach of the Year. She is the first Coach of the Year honoree for MSUM since 2007.
The Dragons made a great deal of history in Konecne's third season as well with senior Shaelyn Johnson and junior Luzmary Diaz Castillo earning the program's first ITA wins on September 20. As a doubles pair, Johnson and Diaz Castillo were All-NSIC First Team and reset the single-season school record with 16 wins. Each player also earned All-NSIC First Team honors in singles competition. Junior Tiannah Gu would also collect 16 singles wins in 2024-25, tying the single-season record, held by Konecne.
In just her second year as head coach, Konecne guided MSUM back to the NSIC Tennis Tournament behind an 8-10 overall record including four NSIC wins. MSUM had All-NSIC performers in Gu (Second Team singles) and the tandem of Johnson and Diaz Castillo (Second Team). The Dragons earned the sixth seed in last year's conference tournament.
Konecne led the Dragons to an 8-10 mark in match play in her first season, including a 4-7 ledger in the NSIC. MSUM had all-conference performances from Johnson (singles and doubles) as well as Tia Dykema (doubles).
Prior to being named head coach in August 2022, Konecne served as the program's top assistant coach. Konecne has a long-standing relationship with Dragon tennis after competing for MSUM from 2017-2020. She posted a 38-18 singles record and a 47-18 doubles record during her four years as a Dragon and helped the team to the NSIC Championship dual on two occasions. She still holds a share of the single-season school record for singles wins (16) and is the sole single-season record holder for singles win percentage (.941) and doubles win percentage (.824). Konecne was an All-NSIC Honorable Mention selection in 2018.
