WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Sean Ryan has been chosen to serve as an assistant coach for Grace's men's and women's tennis teams. He brings a unique combination of high-level athletic experience, coaching expertise, ministry leadership and academic achievement to the program.

A former Big Ten varsity tennis player at Michigan State University, Ryan has competed and coached at a high level throughout his career. During his prep career, he was the district champion for the USTA Western Michigan Boys 18 and was ranked No. 17 in the USTA Midwest Section (Boys 18). He coached a Michigan Boys #1 singles state champion in 2000.
He has also trained under internationally recognized coach Jorge Capestany, founder of TennisDrills.tv. In addition to tennis, Ryan has coached and taught a variety of sports across all ages and skill levels.

Ryan's commitment to personal growth and leadership extends beyond athletics. He holds a Doctor of Educational Ministry degree in Apologetics from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity from Cornerstone University, and a Bachelor of Computer Science from Michigan State University.

Throughout his professional career, Ryan has served as a pastor in three bilingual (English-Spanish) Midwestern churches. He also serves as Executive Director of Approach International, an organization dedicated to ministry leader education and holistic care initiatives for vulnerable children in the Dominican Republic.

At Grace College, Ryan is passionate about developing student-athletes both on and off the court, helping them pursue excellence in competition, character, leadership, and faith.

"There are few sports like tennis: it calls upon a player to engage every aspect of mind, body and spirit—strength, agility, speed, endurance and mental toughness are all essential," Ryan said. "This great sport draws out a vast array of our capabilities as people made in God's image. Coach Fonseca and I want our team to embrace those realities as individuals and as teams."