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Fitch grad off to coach in Ind.
By Brian Dzenis
Shawn Hyden has cut his travel time to his hometown in half.
The 2002 Austintown Fitch graduate recently was named the new head men’s and women’s tennis coach at Division III Earlham College. Earlham is located in Richmond, Ind., which sits on the Ohio border straight west from Dayton.
Hyden is coming off a two-year stint as the men’s and women’s head coach at Arcadia University, which is in suburban Philadelphia. Hyden said it’s about seven-and-a-half-hour ride by car from Arcadia to the Mahoning Valley.
“Two years out here on the East coast, it was good, but I wanted to get back to my roots,” Hyden said.
About Indiana, he said: “It’s a different way of life out here. It’s great to have that down-home feel where everybody-knows-your-name. I know it’s cliche, but it’s nice to get back to that.”
Hyden left Fitch as the Steel Valley Conference champion in doubles.
“It really helped put the cherry on top of a nice career,” Hyden said recalling the accomplishment.
He went to Mount Union and served as captain of the tennis team his senior year. Upon graduating, he was the Purple Raiders’ assistant coach before taking the head job at Arcadia in 2014.
His last year at Arcadia took the team to unprecedented heights. The Knights men’s side broke the single season record for wins with 11. They made the Middle Atlantic Conference championship match and had six players make the All-MAC team.
“I really want to work with everybody as much as they want to do it,” Hyden said. “That blue-collar approach is what I grew up with and it’s what I expect out of my players. It’s one of those things I’m really excited to bring to them.”
Hyden said he’s familiar with most of the Youngstown-area high school coaches and is looking forward to getting further re-connected with his hometown.
“I think Earlham has a good tennis program and can really be the next step in my coaching career,” Hyden said.