Nova Southeastern University Director of Athletics Michael Mominey announced that Steve Schram will take over the helm of the Sharks women’s tennis program prior to the 2013-14 season. Schram became only the second head coach since the women’s program was reinstated in 2003-04 and joined the NSU coaching staff after two successful seasons as the head women’s tennis coach at Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C.
“Steve has been a successful Division II head coach and an accomplished Division II student-athlete – two of the many attributes we were looking for during our search for a new coach,” Mominey said. “His enthusiasm, work ethic and passion to build a highly competitive tennis program were very evident throughout the process."
Schram took the program to new heights in his second season, leading them to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009. He was named ITA South Region Coach of the Year, leading the team to as high as a No. 4 national ranking and a final vote of No. 7. They won their first 16 matches of the spring season, and finished with an overall record of 18-3, finishing second in the Sunshine State Conference with a 7-1 mark.
The Sharks had wins at No. 3 Saint Leo, at home over No. 5 Lynn, and against six other nationally-ranked teams. They reeled in seven all-SSC nods, a First Team All-American member in Sabrina Kierberg, and had two singles players and a doubles combination slotted in the final national rankings.
Schram had already made an immediate impact during his debut campaign, as the Sharks went 13-11 overall with three conference wins. With virtually the same team from the previous season, he helped the Sharks make a five-win improvement from 2013 to 2014.
NSU began the 2014 season with a big win over No. 15 Florida Tech and would go on to earn victories against strong teams such as No. 22 Tampa, Grand Valley State and Delta State. At season’s end, six individuals finished the season with a winning record in singles play, a huge improvement from the previous season.
Schram spent the previous two seasons as the head women’s coach at fellow Division II member Limestone. With limited resources, he managed to turn around a program with only three wins combined the two seasons prior to his arrival, to a team that was regularly in contention for the Conference of the Carolinas title the next two. In 2013, he guided the program to a 16-win season matching the most wins in a single season since 2008. He finished his tenure with the Saints compiling a 30-16 (.652 win percentage) overall record and a 17-5 (.773 win percentage) conference record, while coaching both first-team and third-team All-Conference selections in his final season.
Prior to Limestone, Schram spent five years at the Division I level as an assistant coach for men’s and women’s tennis, while holding three separate posts. For three years, he served as the top assistant for both the men and women at Bucknell University where he served all aspects of the program including fundraising and recruiting coordinator. During his time in Lewisburg, Pa., he helped the Bison women’s tennis program to runner-up finishes in the Patriot League in 2009 and 2010. Those same years he coached the league’s Female Rookie of the Year (2009) and Player of the Year (2010).
Before working with the Bison, Schram spent a single season each at Radford (2007-08) and Wofford (2006-07). At both institutions, he worked in all aspects of the programs but most notably helped coach the Wofford men’s team to a program-record victories against Division I opponents during the 2007 season.
As a college tennis player, he began his career at DII University of Charleston (W. Va.) in 2001-02. After playing one season at the top of the lineup for the Golden Eagles, Schram transferred to Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Fla., then a DII member. During his time at FGCU, he lettered in each of his three seasons and helped the Eagles to a No. 9 national ranking in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll in 2005 and was named Most Improved in 2003.
Along with his collegiate playing experience, Schram had an extensive amateur tennis career that allowed him to play in major tournaments throughout the United States, Europe and Israel from 2003-06. Prior to graduating high school, he also was a highly-ranked USTA junior athlete in the Ohio Valley District and Midwest Section and was named Athlete of the Year as a senior for top overall academic and athletic achievements in southeast Ohio in 2001.
Schram is an active member of the USTA (United States Tennis Association) and served as a Southern Section Board Member and Assistant Vice President for the USPTA (United States Professional Tennis Association) in 2013. He also holds licenses and certifications as a PTR (Professional Tennis Registry) Professional, USTA Level 1 Sports Science certification, a USTA specialty degree in competitive player development and certified as a USPTA Professional level 1.
Schram graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2006 and received a masters of education (M.Ed.) in transformational leadership from Aspen University in 2012.
