Former Cougar tennis player Lyle Stickney is in his 13th season leading the Barton tennis program.

While at Barton, Stickney’s women’s teams have qualified for the NJCAA tournament eight times (2012, ‘14, ‘15, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18, ’19, and ‘21) with a best placing of 7th in the 2020-21 season.  On the men’s side, the Cougars finished 12th in 2014, 21st in ‘17, 15th in ‘18, 13th in ‘19, 8th in the shortened 2020 season, and most recently 8th in 2021.

In 2021, Stickney and the Cougars pieced together one of its’ best national results in recent memory placing 7th at the NJCAA Championships. Over the four day event, Barton combined for a 19-9 mark with sophomore Annunciata De-Souza and freshman Angelina Gnezdilova combining for an 8-2 mark claiming the consolation championships in No. 2 and No. 4 singles.

A trio of Stickney’s players received distinguished All-American awards handed out by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) led by lone singles player Alexandra Abyasova concluding her Cougar career ranked 6^th in the final ITA singles rankings. Top doubles duo of De-Souza and Natsuki Nishimura were the nation’s 3^rd ranked tandem rounding out the All-American honors for the Cougars.

In addition to the program’s accolades, Stickney also received national recognition receiving the Herschel Stephens Coaching Award for outstanding service and dedication to the NJCAA Tennis Coaches’ Association.

Stickney led the Lady Cougars to a 5-2 record in the shortened season of 2020, notching important victories over Collin County Community College and Iowa Central Community College. The Lady Cougars setbacks came at the Collin College Super Bash falling to 2^nd ranked Tyler Junior College and 9^th ranked North Central Texas College.

Four Lady Cougars concluded the shortened season ranked individually; freshman duo Alexandra Abyasova and Natsuki Nishimura guided the Lady Cougars with top-20 finishes nationally finishing 12^th and 16^th individually. Abyasova and Nishimura combined to post a top-15 doubles ranking finishing the season 12^th nationally. Sophomores Mariane Lima and Claudia Sumaia wrapped their Barton careers ranked 29^th and 36^th nationally.

Off the court the Lady Cougars were also solid in the classroom amassing a 3.57 GPA to rank 16th in the nation with four members earning NJCAA academic distinction including one attaining a perfect 4.0 GPA.

The 2019 season Stickney’s squad surpassed their pre-tournament ranking to place 12^th overall at the NJCAA National Championships. Compiled an overall win-loss total of 13-11 in their three days of court action compiling 16.5 points, the Cougars went 6-3 on opening day by winning four of the six singles and two of the three doubles matches before taking a second round hit with five of their winner's bracket matchups losing to seeded opponents.

Barton's lone second round winner's bracket victory came from the No. 2 doubles tandem of Claudia Sumaia and Gwendolen Sior as the 7th seeded duo rolled into the quarterfinals before being eliminated by the nation’s second seeded team.  Sior outlasted her teammates in the tournament, bouncing back from a first round loss in rattling off four victories to capture the No. 4 consolation draw title.

In 2018 freshman No. 3 singles player Ksenija Dmitrovic won the consolation bracket with sophomore duo Neus Torregrosa and Shai Cartmill reaching the No. 1 doubles consolation finals to highlight the Cougars’ 18^th national placing.  Off the court the Lady Cougars also had a strong year carrying a 3.20 GPA to place 27^th in the NJCAA.

The 9^th place national 2017 finish was also led by Torregrosa in teaming with Idah Longwe in the No. 1 doubles slot to reach the final four of the national tournament earning a spot on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) JUCO All-America Team.

The duo's run through the tournament along with Longwe reaching the quarterfinal round in her No. 4 singles match and nine opening day victories by the Lady Cougars powered Barton to the highest season finale finish under Coach Stickney and the Barton women's squad since matching the feat of the 2008 team led by Barton Hall of Fame inductee Sydney Bwalya.

Stickney entered the coaching ranks at Ellinwood High School, leading the girls program since 1989 and formerly headed the boys program from 1995-2009.  During this run Stickney has had 57 boys and 84 girls qualify for the state tournaments, with four regional titles and six top-5 state finishes on the boys side (three team runners-up) and six regional titles and seven top-5 placings for the girls.  In 2011 his Lady Eagles captured the Class 3-2-1A Team Championship. Additionally, Stickney was twice named 3A Coach of the Year.

An Ellinwood, Kansas, native, Stickney continued his playing career at Fort Hays State University, graduating with a Business Administration bachelor’s degree in 1984.