MIKE SOWTER
HEAD TENNIS COACH

Mike Sowter is in his second full season as head men's and women's tennis coach at Hofstra University. Sowter was hired in late April 2006, following the conclusion of the 2005-06 season.

Sowter previously served as the assistant women's tennis coach at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY, and was formerly the head men's and women's tennis coach at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY.

In Sowter's first season with the Pride he led the men's team to seven wins and the women's squad to three victories.  The men's team went 4-0 at home, while the women picked up wins against Norfolk State, Harford and St. Francis (NY).

Sowter's influence on the program was being felt in other ways as well, as his first women's tennis recruiting class was ranked 10th best nationally among mid-majors by tennisrecruiting.net.

Sowter was on the Marist staff from September 2004 through March 2005 and assisted in all facets of the Red Foxes women's tennis program. During his first season at Marist, he helped guide the squad to a 14-4 overall record and a perfect 7-0 record in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) matches. The Red Foxes advanced to the 2005 MAAC finals before falling to Niagara.

Prior to Marist, Sowter was the head coach at Sarah Lawrence from January 2003 through May 2004. During his two seasons with the Gryphons, Sowter compiled a 20-9 record and was named the Hudson Valley Men's Athletic Conference (HVMAC) Coach of the Year in 2003.

A 2002 graduate of Marist with a degree in English, Sowter garnered All-MAAC accolades in 2001 and 2002. As a student-athlete at Marist, Sowter made two appearances in the NCAA Championships after transferring from Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, AL. While at Wallace State, Sowter was a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American in 2000.

Sowter has also served as the head professional at the Satellite Tennis Academy in Old Greenwich, CT, and as the tennis director at Camp Vega for Girls in Fayette, ME.

A native of Perth, Australia, Sowter and his wife, Monika, have one son, Tristan.

SUNNY FISHKIND
ASSISTANT COACH        

Sunny Fishkind, a longtime scholastic tennis coach on Long Island, is in her second season as an assistant coach with the Hofstra Tennis program.

Fishkind served as the girl's varsity tennis coach at Bethpage High School from 1979 through 2005 and coached the boy's varsity team from 1979 through 1990. She was named the Nassau County Coach of the Year in 1982, and also earned High School Coach of the Year accolades from the United State Tennis Association (USTA) in 1996 and 1997.

From 1993 to 2004, she served as president of the Nassau County High School Women's Tennis Association and was also the coordinator of girl's tennis for all Nassau County high schools. As coordinator, Fishkind coached the Nassau County team at the New York State Tournament, sat on the state girl's tennis committee, created the Nassau County Girl's Tennis Handbook and was in charge of scheduling matches for the county schools.

In 1986 Fishkind became director of the Hofstra University Summer Tennis Camp and still holds that position today. In her role she is responsible for introducing and furthering the skills of tennis to children ages 6 to 16, as well as the supervision of camp instructors.

Fishkind is an active volunteer as a member of the Long Island Board of the USTA and is a yearly volunteer at the U.S. Open. In 1994 she was named Volunteer of the Year and in 2002 she was presented with the Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award by the USTA Eastern Section, Long Island Region.

A 1977 graduate of Queens College, Fishkind earned a master's in library science from C.W. Post in 1979. She worked as a library media specialist and computer teacher in the West Babylon School District from 1979 to 2001 and served as the district library chairperson from 1990 to 2001.

Fishkind and her husband, Eddie, who is a volunteer coach with the Hofstra Tennis team, reside in Bethpage, New York.