Inside Athletics

Beginning July 1, 2019, Sue Syljebeck became the interim athletic director, assuming her new role through December 2019 while continuing as the head coach for women’s basketball.

Syljebeck has 271 wins at SHU, which ranks her first all-time in program history. In the past six seasons, the Saints have a 136-60 record and have claimed their first four NAIA Tournament berths. In the 2015-16 season, Syljebeck reached her 200th win milestone as a head coach. 

The 2016-17 season was only the sixth 20-win season – and fifth in six seasons. In 2014-15 the Saints went 26-8 to trail only the 1978-79 season in which the Saints went 27-2. Siena Heights finished 2014-15 as the 22th-ranked team in the NAIA.

While ranking first all-time in wins, Syljebeck also ranks first in SHU history winning percentage. Her record at SHU of 230-180 has her win percentage at .560, moving her past Sr. Mary Alice Murnen, who went 101-107 for a .486 percentage. Syljebeck also holds the highest career conference winning percentage of .566 with a 128-98 record in WHAC play.

Syljebeck coached the Siena Heights women’s basketball program’s first-ever NAIA First Team All-American, April Watson. Watson, the 2017 SHU graduate, went on to play professionally for TGN Spain, based in Tarragona, Spain.

Syljebeck came to Siena Heights from NCAA Division I school Nicholls State (La.). At Nicholls State, she was the associate head coach before being promoted to interim head coach during the 2003-04 campaign. Syljebeck has also coached at Southern Illinois and New Orleans (La.).

Syljebeck graduated from New Orleans in 1997 with her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Human Performance and Health Promotion. After a successful playing career, she then went on to receive her Master’s of Science degree in Physical Education from Southern Illinois in 2000.