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Coach Dana Hatch, the only women’s volleyball coach in Tyler Junior College history, has announced her resignation as the College’s volleyball coach, effective July 1.

Hatch, who started the program from scratch in 1996, has been one of the most successful volleyball coaches in the NJCAA. Prior to the 2009 season, Hatch was eighth in wins among all NJCAA Division 1 active volleyball coaches. She captured 347 wins in fourteen years at TJC with a .602 winning percentage. Including her high school coaching career, Coach Hatch has won over 600 volleyball matches.

All-Americans coached by Hatch include Angela Robinson (honorable mention, 2009), Leticia Kuhn (1st team, 2007), and Felicia Thompson (honorable mention, 2002).

She won two Conference Championships (2002,2007), and one Regional Championship (2002). Coach Hatch’s 2002-2003 squad was her most successful team on the court, winning the District Title and advancing to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. The squad finished with a 41-13 record, which still ranks as the most wins in a season in school history.

“I couldn’t have picked a better place or people to have spent the final years of my career. I believe Tyler Junior College allowed me to be the best possible coach that I could be.” Hatch said.

“I deeply respect the job that Coach Hatch has done for Tyler Junior College and our athletic program,” said Athletic Director Dr. Tim Drain. “She brought a tremendous amount of passion and fire to her job, and she loved working for TJC. She obviously succeeded on the court, but her influence off the court with her players and the life lessons that she taught is what I will always remember and value. I wish Dana and her husband Larry all the best in their future endeavors, including continuing their Trail Creek Christmas Tree farm in Lindale (trailcreekfarmfun.com).”

Hatch served as teacher and coach at Chapel Hill High School during the 1995-96 school year. She previously served as teacher and coach at Austin High School in Austin, 1992-95; and as teacher and coach at Tascosa High School, Amarillo, 1979-1992.

She was named the Mizuno Coach of the Year and the Austin American-Statesman Coach of the Year in 1992; was the Texas Girls Coaches Association All Star Coach in 1985 and 1988, was the Texas Girls Coaches Association volleyball chairman in 1990. She was the Texas Girls Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 1992-93. Hatch was honored with a Special Achievement Award by the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 and 1982, and has served as clinic speaker and volleyball camp clinician for a host of clinics and coaches associations.

Dana Hatch Tyler Junior College Record Through the Years

1996-1997 3-17
1997-1998 17-18
1998-1999 27-14
1999-2000 29-17
2000-2001 29-17
2001-2002 37-16
2002-2003 41-13
2003-2004 27-19
2004-2005 22-18
2005-2006 25-22
2006-2007 22-21
2007-2008 34-6
2008-2009 15-16
2009-2010 19-15

TOTAL 347-229

Just four months after Terri Deike was named LeTourneau University’s senior woman administrator for athletics, she has now been named the new Yellow Jacket athletic director, according to Executive Vice President for Business and Administration Bill McDowell on Tuesday. Deike’s promotion is effective immediately.

Deike, who came to LeTourneau from the University of Texas in Tyler, will keep the title of senior woman administrator in addition to her promotion to athletic director.

“We are excited to have a person with Terri’s abilities, experience and passion,” McDowell said. “Terri Deike is genuine. She’s the real thing. She loves people, loves athletics and knows what it means to build winning programs. I am delighted to have her lead the athletic department for LeTourneau University.”

Prior to coming to LeTourneau, Deike was the head women’s basketball coach at UT-Tyler where she amassed a 90-61 record, including guiding her teams to ASC East Division Championships in 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2007-08. She earned the ASC East Co-Coach of the Year after the 2005-06 season.

While at UT Tyler, Deike was responsible for leading the school through the four-year NCAA provisional membership process. That helped gained active membership status as a result of reports, policies and procedures created and instituted under her leadership.

Deike, a veteran of the East Texas high school basketball ranks, coached at Whitehouse, Hallsville, Belton and Overton, spending 22 years as varsity head coach before becoming UT-Tyler’s first head coach. She spent 11 years at Whitehouse, where she guided the school to the District Championship in 1990-91 and 1993-94. Her 1991-92 team was District Runner-Up. Deike’s 1995-96 and 1997-98 teams won the Bi-District Championships.

“I am honored to be named Athletic Director for LeTourneau University and look forward to working with the staff to move the department into a new era,” Deike said. “We have a great coaching staff dedicated to the overall educational and athletic experience of student-athletes. President Lunsford has a vision and passion for athletics that will enable us to reach new heights.

“I believe God has prepared me for this role after 30 years of public school coaching, teaching, and athletic administration duties and I am grateful for the opportunity,” she said.

Deike and her husband, Dale, have two children, Dylan and Taylor. Deike’s husband works for Anadarko Production Company. They live in Tyler.

Unfortunately, the third time was not the charm for the Tyler Junior College men’s basketball team Saturday night, as they fell to Navarro 69-59 in the quarterfinal round of the Region 14 Tournament at UT Tyler’s Herrington Patriot Center. The loss to the Bulldogs is the third on the season for TJC and ends their year with a 18-11 mark. With the win, Navarro moves on to Sunday’s semi-final round where they will take 11th seeded Lee College and look to advance to their fourth straight Conference Championship game.

Malcolm Moore led the Apaches in the loss with 24 points and eight rebounds, but was the only TJC player in double figures. Shooting woes hampered the Apaches all night, as they shot a mere 33 per-cent for the game.

In other quarterfinal round action on Saturday, top seeded Paris cruised past Jacksonville 70-52 and Trinity Valley escaped Lamar St. 73-67. Those two teams will face off on Sunday at 6pm with a trip to the title game on the line.