Tami Matheny once again joins the Bruins on the sidelines in 2015. She completed the Mental Game Coaching certification in 2008. She has had experience with working at the collegiate level with tennis, basketball, volleyball, softball, baseball and soccer athletes. In addition, she has worked with recreational athletes and junior high/high school athletes in golf, soccer, softball, lacrosse, tennis, baseball, basketball, running, and weight lifting. She has a passion for sports and how the mental game affects performance.
In high school, Matheny was a tennis and basketball standout at East Rutherford High School. In college, she was a scholarship student-athlete in both tennis and basketball and broke several school records. She graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne College with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1993, and earned a master's degree in sports administration from the University of North Carolina in 1999.. She was named the 1993 NCAA Woman of the Year for North Carolina while at Lenoir-Rhyne.
In addition to Mental Game Coaching, Matheny was one of the most successful tennis coaches in USC Upstate tennis history. She also worked physically and mentally with the men's and women’s teams to produce nationally ranked teams, conference champions, and numerous individual awards. In just their first year at the DI level, the women’s team won the Atlantic Sun and went undefeated in conference play. The men repeated this performance two years later.
During her five-year stint with the tennis programs, she elevated the programs to levels never before seen. In her first two seasons as coach, Matheny led the women’s team to a remarkable improvement, as the team went from 0-12 the year before she took the job to 9-16 in 2000 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 2003. The men similarly quickly developed after an 0-12 season in her first year. The Rifles won five matches the next year before reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2001. By 2003, Matheny earned the Peach Belt Conference Men’s Coach of the Year, thanks to leading the Rifles to a 20-2 overall record and a share of the Peach Belt Conference regular season crown. Matheny coached the men to the Peach Belt Conference championship match and to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight time. On the women’s side, a 15-8 record helped the Lady Rifles earn their first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 1995. The women finished the season ranked 25th in Division II. In total, Matheny coached one All-American, five All-Peach Belt Conference selections and 39 Peach Belt Presidential Honor Roll selections. She took the Spartan men to the NCAA Division II Tournament a school-record-tying three times.
After transitioning to associate athletic director, Matheny continued to stay involved with both tennis programs as an assistant coach. With the implementation of her “Mental Toughness Program,” the Spartan women’s tennis team won its first regular season league title in school history in 2008, sweeping the Atlantic Sun Conference slate with a perfect 11-0 record. The men’s team followed suit in 2010, ending the year nationally ranked with a perfect 10-0 conference record.
Aside from the USC Upstate tennis teams, Tami worked with the women’s basketball team in 2010 as a mental coach. With Tami’s help, the team improved from seventh to third in the conference and finished with a 20-win season which culminated in Freshman of the Year, Coach of the Year and the best year seen in women’s basketball at Upstate in over a decade. The next year, they saw continued success with another winning season, third place in conference, Player of the Year, and Second Team All Conference.
In addition, Tami has worked with Belmont women’s soccer, UNCA women’s basketball, Upstate Volleyball, ETSU women’s soccer, Upstate Baseball, Converse soccer as well as various high school teams and individuals in the area.
When not training others, Tami continues to remain physically active. She plays on USTA tennis leagues, was a member of the 2007 National Intramural Basketball Championship team, and runs marathons and ultramarathons. She has completed a handful of marathons notably the Boston Marathon in 2008, 50k ultra in Nashville in 2009, and a 40 miler in 2011. She is an avid sports enthusiast, who is constantly seeking new mental and physical challenges. As an athlete and a coach Tami has seen how mental toughness coupled with physical training translates into individual and/or team athletic success.
