There has been an overnight change in the Southern Arkansas University tennis program.
Veteran coach Greg Owen stepped down Thursday to pursue other opportunities and assistant Aleksa Bucan has been elevated to be the interim leader of the men’s and women’s teams.
“We are excited to give Coach Bucan the opportunity to lead our men’s and women’s tennis programs during this transition,” stated Director of Athletics Steve Browning. “Having worked alongside Coach Owen this past year, he understands our student-athletes, the culture of our programs and the expectations we have established for Mulerider Tennis. I’ve been impressed with his energy, work ethic and passion for our student-athletes, and I’m confident he will provide the leadership and stability we need moving forward. We have high expectations for both programs, and I look forward to watching Coach Bucan put his own stamp on them while continuing to build on the success we have enjoyed.”
Bucan is coming off a season in which he played an integral role in helping guide both programs to their respective conference championship tournaments.
“I’m super excited and honored to take on the role of interim head coach of Mulerider Tennis,” exclaims Coach Bucan. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity that Coach Browning has given me to lead the program. I had the opportunity to work under Coach Owen this past year, and I’m very thankful for everything I learned from him and for the foundation he helped build. While I’m going to miss working with Coach Owen, I’m excited to take the next step and take over the program. I’m ready to work hard, put my ideas into action, and continue moving Mulerider Tennis forward. Most importantly, I’m ready to compete, win championships, and make Southern Arkansas University and the entire Mulerider family proud.”
Owen was instrumental in the revitalization of Southern Arkansas men’s and women’s tennis after being hired in December 2017 to lead the programs as they prepared to return to competition in the fall of 2018. Over the past nine seasons, Owen helped build both programs into consistent conference, regional and national contenders.
Under his leadership, the Mulerider men’s program recorded six winning seasons, including a pair of 20-win campaigns and three appearances in the NCAA Division II Championship.
According to Browning, “Coach Owen leaves a lasting mark on Mulerider Tennis and our athletic department. When the decision was made to bring our men’s and women’s tennis programs back, he accepted the challenge of essentially building both programs from the ground up, and what he accomplished over the past nine years speaks for itself.
“Under his leadership, our programs won conference championships, competed in NCAA postseason play and established themselves as consistent contenders on the regional and national stage. We are extremely grateful for everything he has poured into Mulerider Tennis, and while we hate to see him leave, we wish Coach Owen and his family nothing but success in this next chapter.”
