ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. – St. Mary's College of Maryland Head Men's and Women's Tennis Coach Sona Hussian has had the interim tag removed from her title and has been hired as the head coach of the tennis programs, Director of Athletics and Recreation Crystal Gibson announced Wednesday morning.
 
Hussian served as the interim head coach for the 2023 season after holding the title of assistant coach during the 2021-22 season as well as the first half of the 2022-23 campaign.
 
"We are excited to welcome Sona to our staff full-time. She has already proven herself to be a winner and valuable piece of the St. Mary's College of Maryland athletic department puzzle. We can't wait to begin this next step in the journey and continue the growth of our tennis programs," Gibson said.
 
Under Hussian's leadership, both the men's and women's tennis teams repeated as United East Conference regular season and tournament champions and returned to the NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Tennis Tournaments while she was named the United East Men's and Women's Tennis Coach of the Year.
 
"It was a great season and I was honored to be the interim head coach for both teams. I'm excited to remove the interim title and look forward to supporting the teams to have another successful year," Hussian stated.
 
She became the interim head coach on March 3 and two days later picked up her first head coaching win as the men's squad handed Goucher College a 5-4 setback. The Seahawks finished the spring semester with a combined record of 17-9 as the men posted a 9-4 record and the women went 8-5 between March and May.
 
Members of the Seahawk men's and women's rosters excelled and earned high accolades under Hussian's guidance.
 
Boris Palmade '26 (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) was named the United East Player and Rookie of the Year while seven men's players earned All-United East honors. On the women's side, six members garnered All-United East accolades.
 
The Gorel siblings (Jessup, Md./Hammond), Hannah and Devon, both picked up the United East Elite 14 Award while Hannah was named a College Sports Communicators Academic All-American.
 
Hussian was a member of the travel club tennis team at The Pennsylvania State University from 2014-2018. Before playing tennis at Penn State, she was the No. 1 singles player at Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, Pa., for four years.

When not on the court, Hussian is a yoga instructor (RYT 200) at Evolve Yoga Studio in California, Md. She conducts tennis lessons in California as well, focusing on form, technique, and improving the overall tennis game.

Hussian graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 2018 with a B.A. in psychology. Along with a wealth of tennis knowledge and expertise, she will be able to promote the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of the student-athletes to help them have the best experience during their time at St. Mary's College.
 
Facebook: StMarysAthletics | Instagram: @smcseahawks, @smcmtennis
Twitter: @smcseahawks, @SMCMtennis
Hashtags: #GoSeahawks | #SeahawkPROUD | #SweepTheSheds