MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Mulerider Tennis Head Coach Greg Owen has stepped down from his post to pursue other opportunities.
 
"Coach Owen leaves a lasting mark on Mulerider Tennis and our athletic department. When the decision was made to bring our men's and women's tennis programs back, he accepted the challenge of essentially building both programs from the ground up, and what he accomplished over the past nine years speaks for itself," said Director of Athletics Steve Browning. "Under his leadership, our programs won conference championships, competed in NCAA postseason play and established themselves as consistent contenders on the regional and national stage. We are extremely grateful for everything he has poured into Mulerider Tennis, and while we hate to see him leave, we wish Coach Owen and his family nothing but success in this next chapter."
 
 
Owen was instrumental in the revitalization of Southern Arkansas men's and women's tennis after being hired in December 2017 to lead the programs as they prepared to return to competition in the fall of 2018. Over the past nine seasons, Owen helped build both programs into consistent conference, regional and national contenders.
 
Under Owen's leadership, the Mulerider men's program recorded six winning seasons, including a pair of 20-win campaigns and three appearances in the NCAA Division II Championship.
 
The 2022 season stands as one of the most successful in program history as the Muleriders posted a 20-6 overall record, defeated 10 nationally-ranked opponents and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Round of 16. That season, SAU reached as high as No. 8 in the ITA national rankings, a program-best mark at the time, while all six singles players and all three doubles pairings earned all-conference recognition. Four Muleriders also spent time ranked nationally in singles play, while two doubles teams earned national rankings.
 
On the women's side, Owen's impact was immediate. In the program's first season back on the court in 2018-19, Southern Arkansas captured the Great American Conference Regular Season Championship. The title marked the program's first conference championship of the NCAA era and its first overall conference crown since the 1973-74 season.
 
The Lady Muleriders finished that inaugural campaign with a 22-4 overall record and a perfect 10-0 mark at home. SAU also recorded victories over two nationally-ranked opponents and put together winning streaks of seven and eight matches during the historic season.
 
The success of the women's program continued throughout Owen's tenure. Overall, the Muleriders recorded four winning seasons, including two 20-win campaigns, while claiming multiple Great American Conference regular-season championships and two GAC Tournament Championships.
 
Most recently, the Muleriders captured the 2025 GAC Regular Season Championship outright, marking the program's third consecutive regular-season crown. SAU went undefeated in conference play and entered the GAC Championship as the tournament's top seed.
 
The Muleriders followed that regular-season success by capturing the 2025 GAC Tournament Championship, defeating Southeastern Oklahoma 4-2 in the title match. The championship marked SAU's first GAC Tournament title since 2019 and sent the Muleriders back to the NCAA Division II Central Region Championship for the first time since that same season.
 
Owen also oversaw the development of numerous all-conference, regionally-ranked and nationally-ranked student-athletes throughout his tenure.