WACO, Texas - Baylor assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Sytia Messer was selected by the University of Arkansas Alumni Association's Black Alumni Society to receive the Association's Citation of Distinguished Alumni Award.
The award is presented to those who have exceeded in professional and personal achievements, based on a certain field. Messer was honored, along with others at the Black Alumni Society's 12th Awards Banquet on April 18 in Fayetteville.
After three years as a head coach at Tennessee Tech and serving two stints at Georgia Tech, Messer is in her second year at Baylor.
She was associate head coach at Georgia Tech in 2012-13 and served as an assistant coach for the Yellow Jackets from 2004-09. In between stints on the Atlanta campus, she compiled a 54-41 record as the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles' head coach. Messer was named the 2010-11 Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year after the Golden Eagles won the 2011 OVC regular season title. She also has coached at Memphis and Arkansas State.
The Waldo native was a standout player for the Arkansas Razorbacks where she finished her career ranked in the top 10 in points scored (No. 7, 1,370) and rebounds (No. 10, 603). Messer was named the 1998 NCAA Tournament West Regional MVP when the Razorbacks made their run to the Women's Final Four and led Arkansas to the 1999 WNIT championship.