Former Dragon Alexis Konecne is in her third season as the Dragon head women’s tennis coach. She was named the position on Aug. 22, 2022.
Konecne's third season 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 Tiannah Gu (Second Team singles) and the tandem of Shaelyn Johnson and Luzmary Diaz Castillo (Second Team doubles). 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 Shaelyn Johnson (singles and doubles) as well as Tia Dykema (doubles).
A Bemidji, Minn., native, Konecne was a member of the MSUM women’s tennis team from 2017-20. She has served as an assistant coach for the Dragons the past two seasons.
“I am excited to have Coach Konecne be our next head women’s tennis coach,” Markuson said. “She brings the qualities we look for in Dragon coach, she has a passion for the sport and is committed to providing a meaningful student-athlete experience. Alexis was a key member as a student-athlete of the best Dragon women’s tennis teams, and I am looking forward to her leading the program back to those levels.”
Konecne was a key part in helping the Dragons climb to the upper tier of the NSIC standings and helping them reach the NSIC tournament championship match in 2018 and 2019. Konecne posted a 38-18 singles record and a 47-18 doubles record during her four years as a Dragon.
“I am grateful for this opportunity,” Konecne said. “I love the women on the team and am excited to work with them. I feel very supported by the athletic department here and want to thank them for their help in this process. I look forward to learning along the way and putting in the work needed to grow the Dragon women’s tennis program.”
Konecne was named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence in 2019 and 2020 after earning NSIC All-Academic honors in 2018.
