DES MOINES, Iowa – Calvin Song, who led the Drake University women's tennis program for the last two years, resigned from his position as the Bulldogs' head coach to pursue another coaching opportunity.
To address the vacancy, Drake has adjusted its tennis coaching staff. Current men's head coach
Justin Stuckey will lead both programs and serve as the Director of Tennis for the 2026-27 year.
"While we are disappointed to see Calvin depart after just two seasons, we are grateful for his contributions to Drake Athletics and the foundation he helped establish for our women's tennis program," Drake director of athletics
Brian Hardin said. "With the timing of this transition, we are especially fortunate to have Justin already on our staff and prepared to provide steady leadership for both our women's and men's tennis programs. Justin has successfully led both men's and women's programs in the past, knows our student-athletes, and understands the culture and expectations of Drake University. We are grateful for his willingness to step into this expanded role and are confident he will provide outstanding leadership for our tennis programs."
Song compiled a 15-29 record during his two seasons leading the Bulldogs after being hired in August 2024. He capped his Drake tenure in 2026 by leading the fifth-seeded Bulldogs to two upset victories in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and an appearance in the league championship match.
An Ames native, Song coached First Team All-MVC selections
Jordane Dookie and
Maja Dodik. Dodik also earned MVC Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors in 2026.
Stuckey's first two years leading the Bulldog men have included a school record 14-match win streak and a No. 8 ITA ranking in the Central Region. Stuckey coached a Drake doubles team to the NCAA Conference Masters Championship while also coaching a singles player to a top-12 regional ranking.
"I am honored and excited to begin this new chapter as Director of Tennis at Drake," Stuckey said. "I look forward to building a strong community and helping every player within our programs reach their highest potential."
Stuckey arrived at Drake after five seasons as head men's and women's tennis coach at Saint Louis University, where his teams achieved unprecedented success. Stuckey led the Billiken men and women to simultaneous Atlantic 10 Conference tournament semifinal runs and coached six All-Atlantic 10 players, including the 2023 A-10 Women's Player of the Year. He also guided the SLU men's team to its first-ever regional ranking at No. 7 and first-ever national tournament berth in the NIT Championship presented by UTR Sports. On the recruiting trail, he brought in the 23rd ranked class for mid-major programs in 2023. He also guided the Billiken women to a school record for consecutive wins in a single season.
Prior to SLU, Stuckey led the William Woods University men's and women's teams, a program that had only been formed for one year prior to his arrival, to a conference championship and berth into the NAIA national tournament in each of Stuckey's three seasons at the helm. The men's team posted a three-year record of 53-16 and reached the 2017 and 2018 NAIA quarterfinals. The women's squad went 48-24 and advanced to the national semifinals and quarterfinals in 2017 and 2018, respectively, in addition to earning ITA All-Academic recognition twice. Additionally, both William Woods teams achieved top-10 national rankings in all three years. The men's program also set a school record for wins in a season at 22 in the 2019 season. The women's program ranked nationally as high as No. 3, while the men's program peaked at No. 4.
Drake will hire two assistant coaches to support Stuckey in leading the men's and women's tennis programs during the 2026-27 season. Following the season, the department will evaluate the long-term leadership structure for both programs.
