Olaya Garrido-Rivas has been hired as head women’s tennis coach.
Garrido-Rivas comes to Missouri Western after two seasons as an assistant women’s tennis coach at NCAA Division I member Middle Tennessee State. A native of Spain, Garrido-Rivas was a second-team All-Big 12 selection as a women’s tennis student athlete at Texas Christian University in 2017 and was named the Big 12 Women’s Tennis Newcomer of the Year in 2016 after transferring to TCU from the University of South Florida.
“Olaya is going to infuse our women’s tennis program with energy, enthusiasm and competitiveness,” said Dr. Josh Looney, vice president for intercollegiate athletics. “She was a high-level collegiate player and has been influenced by impressive mentors that will benefit her, as well as current and future women’s tennis student-athletes at Missouri Western. We are fired up for Olaya to take the reins of Griffon Tennis and join our family of coaches.”
At Middle Tennessee, Garrido-Rivas helped the team jump 121 spots in the ITA rankings during her first season. Since graduating from Middle Tennessee with a master’s in leisure and sport management, Garrido-Rivas had been working as an instructor with the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy.
“I am so grateful for this opportunity,” Garrido-Rivas said. “Missouri Western is a great institution in a great city with an athletic department that is committed to help the tennis program succeed. I am so excited to start working with the women and the community to accomplish great things. During my college tennis days I experienced some of the best moments in my life and grew a lot as a person and as a tennis player. I’m excited to help others to do the same.”
She received her bachelor’s in communications studies with a minor in general business from TCU in 2017.