Simone Jardim Resigns as Spartan Women's Tennis Coach
5/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
EAST LANSING, Mich. â€" After eight seasons leading the Michigan State women's tennis program, Simone Jardim has resigned as the Spartans' head coach, MSU Athletics Director Mark Hollis announced on Wednesday, May 11. Jardim plans on relocating to Florida with her family.
"I am grateful for Coach Jardim's time and commitment to the Michigan State women's tennis program these past eight seasons," said Hollis. "Under her leadership, the team has continued to improve on the court while maintaining excellence in the classroom and the community. Her contributions have provided a foundation for the program on which we will continue to build. I wish Simone the best in her future endeavors. We will begin an immediate national search for a new head coach."
"The past eight years have been a great journey," said Jardim. "I love my Spartan family and will always be a part of it in one way or another. I am excited and look forward to the continued growth of the program. I will always cherish the relationships and bonds that I have created in my time here. There will always be a special place in my heart for all of my players. I will surely miss them.
"Thank you to our ACES club, parents, and administrators for their unwavering support, and to the Spartan family and everyone that has supported me and my family. I will always be thankful for that. I'm proud of what (associate) Coach (Tyler) Faulkner and I were able to accomplish with the program, and I want to thank him for all his help the past few years. This was an experience I will never forget."
Jardim concluded her eighth year at the helm of the Spartans this past season, guiding MSU to its first victory in the Big Ten Tournament since 1993 with a win over Indiana. Under the tutelage of Jardim, Emily Meyers became the program leader in singles wins, amassing 74 over her four years donning the Green and White, passing another Jardim-coached player in Marina Bohrer. Athena Trouillot, who just completed her junior season, is already third in school history with 68 wins. Five different Spartans finished conference play with a winning record in 2016, marking the most in program history.
Two of Michigan State's three most successful seasons have come under Jardim. The 2014 team posted 17 wins, which ranks second all-time, and the 2015 team's 16 wins rank third in program history. Both of those squads went on to win five matches in Big Ten play, which is the most since 1991 when MSU claimed seven league matches.
Jardim's overall record was 92-106, but she finished 46-30 from 2014-16 and had three consecutive winning seasons (17-9 in 2014, 16-9 in 2015, 13-12 in 2016), a first for the program since 1987-89.
In her time as the head coach from 2009-16, Jardim coached two First-Team All-Big Ten selections in Bohrer (2014) and Erin Faulkner (2015). Forty-one Spartans have been recognized as Academic All-Big Ten honorees since her first season in East Lansing in 2009.
Players Mentioned
