BGSU women’s tennis announced the hiring of Autumn Williams as its next head coach.
Williams will replace Mike Bonnell as head coach after BGSU announced the non-renewal of Bonnell’s contract on April 20.
“Autumn’s energy, authenticity and passion for competitive success and building meaningful relationships immediately stood out throughout this process,” Vice President for Athletics Strategy and Director of Athletics Derek van der Merwe said. “She has a magnetic personality that naturally brings people together and reflects the values of BGSU and the Bowling Green community. We are excited for our student-athletes to be mentored by someone who is deeply committed to creating a strong culture of connection, support and growth both on and off the court.”
Williams has spent the last 12 seasons as the head tennis coach at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She coached at Clark Atlanta University for four years prior to coaching the Javelinas.
This past season with Texas A&M-Kingsville, the Javelinas finished with a 9-10 overall record and 5-5 Lone Star Conference record.
She has made two NCAA Regionals Appearances, one for Clark Atlanta in 2011 and one for Texas A&M-Kingsville in 2021.
Before coaching, Williams began her tennis career in 2002 as a tennis professional at the Sugar Creek Tennis Center in Atlanta. In 2006, she became the head tennis professional at the PGA TOUR Superstore in Kennesaw and Roswell, Georgia.
“I am incredibly excited and honored to join the Bowling Green State University women’s tennis program as head coach and the Falcon family,” said Williams. “From the very beginning, the support, energy and genuine welcome from the department made this opportunity feel truly special. I’m grateful to be joining a community that has embraced me with open arms, and I cannot wait to get to work building something meaningful with our student-athletes and staff.”
The Falcons will officially introduce Williams through a press conference Monday, May 18, at 3 p.m in the Schmidthorst Heritage Hall inside the Stroh Center.
