WESTERVILLE – In what caps a memorable 10-year run guiding the Otterbein Tennis programs, head coach Tyler Stephen has announced that he will be departing his alma mater for a new career role.

Stephen, 39, is moving on to serve as head professional at New Albany Country Club, where he will oversee a combination of on-court coaching with administrative tasks involving junior men's and women's programs.

"I told the team that I don't look at this as leaving Otterbein Tennis… it's just that I won't be coaching them anymore, said Stephen. "This school will always be one of the most special places to me. Having the opportunity to come back in 2015-16 and impact the lives of not just great players, but also great individual human beings, has been a gift. I will remember those connections more than any win or trophy. These have been some of the best times in my life."

Stephen, a 4x Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, delivered a 235-107 overall record leading both programs – overseeing the men (112-69) since arrival and the women (123-38) for the past nine. He has six OAC trophies on his resume, with four coming in the regular season and then a pair of tournament crowns as well.

His teams racked up more than 60 All-OAC awards in a decade span and were responsible for eight OAC Player of the Year selections, highlighted by standout Erin Storrer going down as likely the only 5x recipient in league history due to receiving an extra year through the COVID pandemic. The men's group also helped secure the first CSC Academic All-America honor for either tennis team in two decades when Australian Brandon Wall made the prestigious list in 2023.

"Tyler has given so much to this program and has rebuilt Otterbein Tennis into a perennial contender within the OAC," said Dr. Greg Lott, director of athletics. "While the results have been impressive, I'm most pleased with the difference he has made in the lives of so many student-athletes. Tyler will be missed for sure, but he is always a Cardinal."

Stephen led the women's side to a historical season in 2022, sweeping through the league before winning the program's first NCAA Tournament match in school history with a 5-0 blanking of Webster University (Mo.) down in Atlanta. Soon after, Storrer - off a quarterfinal showing at ITA Regionals earlier in the season - became the first/only Otterbein Tennis player to qualify for the NCAA Singles Championships. She laced up and competed admirably at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, missing All-American honors by one round.

All of that momentum greased the wheels for the team to reach No. 5 in the regional rankings the following season, the highest the program has ever climbed to date.

"As funny as it might sound… I've never really had a career plan," explained Stephen, also the 2021 USPTA Midwest Coach of the Year. "I just do what feels right in the moment. Taking the job here 10 years ago felt right and it's been one day at a time since. It took a little time to get where we wanted on paper, but I'm so proud now looking back and seeing what was accomplished. It will probably hit me more in the coming years when reflecting on all the dedication and commitment from our kids that brought us legitimacy throughout the region and country. Their work ethic remained at the core and so many involved trusted my vision."

Those who know, and have operated around, Stephen are quick to point out his genuine love for Otterbein Athletics. The 2008 alum, who used to call games for WOBN campus radio and travel around covering events as an undergrad, has remained a steadfast follower/historian of many other sport programs to this day.

"It was a really cool experience to be a student and take a physical education class with Brandon Koons (women's soccer), to all of a sudden being in staff meetings with him," Stephen added. "I have a voicemail from George Powell (baseball) saved on my phone after we won that NCAA Tournament match in Atlanta. It's been a special journey looking up to these types of men as a student and then find myself as a colleague, sharing ideas and following their journeys as fellow coaches. It brought everything full circle."

Stephen recently began his new role at New Albany Country Club and a search to find his replacement at Otterbein is currently underway.