Nadine Mein is the newly hired assistant tennis coach, but this is not Mein’s first time at Seward County Community College.

Coach Mein attended Seward County from 1994-1996, and not only that, she also played on the women’s tennis team.

When Mein played tennis at Seward, she played under Coach Joe Anderson. It was when Mein was leaving Seward that current head tennis coach Darin Workman was stepping into the program.

After her time in Liberal she continued her schooling at PIMA Medical Institute in her home state, New Mexico. At PIMA she no longer played tennis and was focused on X-ray school and getting her degree. From there, Mein moved back to Liberal in 1999 and worked at Southwest Medical Center in the X-ray department, the job she held until accepting the assistant coaching position, which is now Mein’s full-time job.

Mein, on top of taking care of and coaching the Saints and Lady Saints tennis teams, has children of her own at home to take care of. Mein has a 9-year-old son Ryan, a 12-year- old daughter Sarah, and a 14-year-old daughter Corey. Mein is married to Casey, a Liberal area financial adviser. Because of Mein’s daughters, she has coached before for her daughter’s recreation volleyball team, but never competitively and never tennis.

Mein says that she is very excited to coach a competitive sport and to get back into tennis again.

When Athletic Director Galen McSpadden called Mein and told her about the position, she was intrigued.

“Galen called me in December and told me about the team’s situation and asked me to help out,” Mein said. “I knew that they are such a good team and have high hopes for this team, and I just didn’t want to see their program dissipate, so I decided to help out.”

Now being with the team for just a few weeks, Mein is getting to know the players more and is very eager for the games.

Sophomore Saint Ronzai Saurombe had only positive words about Coach Mein.

“She played here before, so I think she will be useful to the team and can contribute a lot with her experience since she has been through this. She is willing to help in each and every way to make the team the best it can be. I have had a positive experience so far with her coaching on and off the court,” Saurombe shared.

Mein is excited to see what the guys can bring to the court.

Sophomore Lady Saint Paula Lopez said, “We are having a really good time with her coaching us and also helping us off of the courts. Having two coaches with experience is really helpful and the team is really motivated and willing to give everything at matches and tournaments. I am really enjoying this semester with both of our new coaches.”

Lopez refers to the other coaching change for the tennis team, which was the return of Darin Workman to the interim head coach position. Workman had been a head coach for 17 years prior to 2012 at Seward, but had given up that position and focused on his other college jobs as music instructor and band director.

The head coach from 2012-2014, Jerry Thor, parted ways with the college in November. Coaching duties for assistant coach Molly Lentini also ended in November.

Coach Mein says that she is a highly motivated individual and loves to coach. She shared that when she is with the team she feels “like the mom of the team”, which she enjoys. Overall, while she is in the assistant coaching position Mein wants to make a positive impact.