SEWARD, Neb. – Lisa Hart will bring more than two decades of head coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level to Concordia University, Nebraska Athletics. On Tuesday (Aug. 8), the athletic department announced the hiring of Hart as Concordia Head Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach. Hart will officially begin her tenure leading the Bulldogs on Aug. 14. Director of Athletics Devin Smith and Associate Director of Athletics Angela Muller selected Hart as part of a national search.
Most recently the Associate Head Women’s Tennis Coach at her alma mater, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Hart expressed a desire to continue to make the state of Nebraska her home.
Said Hart, “I would like to thank Devin Smith and Angela Muller for this exciting opportunity. Concordia is an exceptional University, with special people and great potential for our student-athletes to excel on and off the court. I am eager to begin working with our wonderful tennis student-athletes and can’t wait to get started!
“I would also like to thank the University of Nebraska and Coach Scott Jacobson. The opportunity to coach with my mentor the past two years has been incredibly special. I am very proud to have played a small part, as a player and an assistant coach, in his extensive and very successful collegiate coaching career.”
Wrote Devin Smith in a statement, “We are thrilled to welcome Coach Hart and her family to Concordia University, Nebraska. Her résumé speaks for itself, yet her impressive relational and instructional skills will be immediate assets in the development of our student-athletes. We were instantly impressed with Coach Hart throughout the interview process, during which her character and passion for enriching the lives of student-athletes rose to the top. Coach Hart’s contagious personality and impeccable experience will not only elevate Bulldog tennis and its members, but our entire athletic department staff will be strengthened greatly by her leadership abilities. We look forward to working alongside Coach Hart to enhance Bulldog Tennis for years to come.”
Following her successful run as a student-athlete for the Cornhuskers, Hart transitioned smoothly into the coaching profession. Her journey has included tenures as Assistant Women’s Tennis Coach at Nebraska (1998-2000), Head Women’s Tennis Coach at Virginia Tech (2000-2003), Head Women’s Tennis Coach at Washington State University (2003-2021) and Associate Head Women’s Tennis Coach at Nebraska (2021-23). Originally from Sunnyside, Wash., Hart owns the title of winningest coach in Washington State women’s tennis history with the 246 victories she accumulated over 18 seasons. Over that stretch, Hart led the Cougars to NCAA Championship appearances in 2008, 2012 and 2019 and led the program to regional and national rankings each year. She coached nine players to NCAA Individual Championships appearances.
Named Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2012, Hart has tutored teams that have consistently achieved high marks in the classroom. Hart’s Cougar student-athletes earned a combined 40 Pac-12 All-Academic and 35 ITA All-Academic awards and achieved ITA All-Academic Team awards each season from 2007 through 2020. In addition, Hart coached seven athletes who were named ITA Cissie Leary Northwest Region Sportsmanship Award winners, six ITA Regional Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award winners and an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award winner. Hart herself was honored as United States Professional Tennis Association Pacific Northwest College Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2020 and was recognized with numerous awards for community service.
Hart’s first head coaching job came in Blacksburg, Va., at Virgina Tech. While in that role, Hart led the Hokies to a trio of third-place finishes in the Big East Conference. Virginia Tech achieved a national ranking in 2003 and the women’s tennis team posted the best cumulative GPA of any program in the athletic department in 2001. In her second stint at Nebraska, Hart helped the Huskers garner national rankings in 2022 and 2023 and aided in the top doubles team reaching the NCAA Championships and ranking No. 34 nationally. The Huskers also were recognized with ITA All-Academic Team Awards and had individual winners of the Arthur Ashe Leadership and Cissie Leary Sportsmanship awards. Throughout her coaching career, Hart has been active within national tennis coaching committees.
Hart starred on the court during her own collegiate career, earning two first team all-conference accolades (three total all-conference awards), a Big 12 conference championship (No. 2 singles) and Big Eight Conference Freshman/Newcomer awards. She was also lauded as an academic all-conference honoree three times and was the recipient of the ITA Regional Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship and Leadership Award and the ITA Regional Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award. She also served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Board for three years.
Hart earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Nebraska and also holds a master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Physical Education and Sports Studies from Nebraska. Hart has a daughter, Mary Beth, and son, Paul.
