Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Tennis Coach Ryan Kucera Resigns
5/18/2026 3:03:00 PM | Tennis
A national search for his replacement will begin immediately
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Ryan Kucera has resigned from his position as the head coach of the Eastern Michigan University tennis program, EMU Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee announced today, May 18. A national search for the program's 12th head coach will begin immediately.
"We want to wish Ryan all the best on his new opportunity,' Wetherbee said. "With his departure, we will turn our focus to identifying and hiring a new leader for the tennis program that will continue to push the program forward and bring home a Mid-American Conference championship to Ypsilanti."
Hired Aug. 9, 2023, Kucera compiled a record of 34-34 overall and 13-18 in MAC play while leading the Eagles to the semifinals of the 2024 MAC Championships, marking the team's first conference appearance since the 2018 competition. His teams posted 12 wins in each of his first two seasons to mark the first time since the 2002-03 and 2003-04 campaigns Eastern had accomplished the feat. All told, his 34 wins rank sixth on the program's head coaching list while his 13 MAC wins stood fifth. To reach those win totals, he helped Eastern turn the Chippewa Club into a home court advantage as the Eagles were 25-6 at home under Kucera, including a perfect 11-0 mark in 2023-24 that marked only the fourth undefeated home record in program history and the first since the 2003-04 team went 7-0.
"I want to thank Scott Wetherbee, Associate AD Stacie McMullen, the entire administration, support staff, and my incredible student-athletes here at Eastern Michigan," Kucera said. "I am extremely grateful for the opportunity they provided me and the trust they place on me to lead the program. I'm beyond proud of what we've done both on and off the court and I know that the future of Eastern Michigan Tennis is very bright."
Individually, Kucera guided three players to All-MAC honors with one first-team selection each of his three seasons. He helped Daniella Shved to first team honors in both 2023-24 and 2024-25 while seeing Prerna Vichare add her name to the second-team list in 2024-25. This past season, he brought in Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya (Serang, Indonesia/SMAN 2 Kota Serang), who not only earned a spot on the All-MAC First Team, but also was voted the MAC Freshman of the Year, marking only the fourth time an Eastern player has garnered the award and the first since 2013.
Kucera also helped Sabina Brichackova and Vichare etch their names in the record books during his time. The duo competed in doubles together across their four-year careers and finished as the runners-up at the 2024 MAC Fall Individuals as the individual competition returned to the courts for the first time since the 2002-03 season. By the end of their senior seasons, both had accumulated triple-digit win totals with Brichackova posting 119 combined wins and Vichare 100, marking the first time names had been added to the program's win list since 2016.
For all things EMU Tennis, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMUEaglesTennis on Twitter and EMU_Tennis on Instagram.
"We want to wish Ryan all the best on his new opportunity,' Wetherbee said. "With his departure, we will turn our focus to identifying and hiring a new leader for the tennis program that will continue to push the program forward and bring home a Mid-American Conference championship to Ypsilanti."
Hired Aug. 9, 2023, Kucera compiled a record of 34-34 overall and 13-18 in MAC play while leading the Eagles to the semifinals of the 2024 MAC Championships, marking the team's first conference appearance since the 2018 competition. His teams posted 12 wins in each of his first two seasons to mark the first time since the 2002-03 and 2003-04 campaigns Eastern had accomplished the feat. All told, his 34 wins rank sixth on the program's head coaching list while his 13 MAC wins stood fifth. To reach those win totals, he helped Eastern turn the Chippewa Club into a home court advantage as the Eagles were 25-6 at home under Kucera, including a perfect 11-0 mark in 2023-24 that marked only the fourth undefeated home record in program history and the first since the 2003-04 team went 7-0.
"I want to thank Scott Wetherbee, Associate AD Stacie McMullen, the entire administration, support staff, and my incredible student-athletes here at Eastern Michigan," Kucera said. "I am extremely grateful for the opportunity they provided me and the trust they place on me to lead the program. I'm beyond proud of what we've done both on and off the court and I know that the future of Eastern Michigan Tennis is very bright."
Individually, Kucera guided three players to All-MAC honors with one first-team selection each of his three seasons. He helped Daniella Shved to first team honors in both 2023-24 and 2024-25 while seeing Prerna Vichare add her name to the second-team list in 2024-25. This past season, he brought in Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya (Serang, Indonesia/SMAN 2 Kota Serang), who not only earned a spot on the All-MAC First Team, but also was voted the MAC Freshman of the Year, marking only the fourth time an Eastern player has garnered the award and the first since 2013.
Kucera also helped Sabina Brichackova and Vichare etch their names in the record books during his time. The duo competed in doubles together across their four-year careers and finished as the runners-up at the 2024 MAC Fall Individuals as the individual competition returned to the courts for the first time since the 2002-03 season. By the end of their senior seasons, both had accumulated triple-digit win totals with Brichackova posting 119 combined wins and Vichare 100, marking the first time names had been added to the program's win list since 2016.
For all things EMU Tennis, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMUEaglesTennis on Twitter and EMU_Tennis on Instagram.
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