GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University coaching legend Mike Joy was honored on Thursday (April 6) with the announcement of a planned outdoor training and fitness area which will bear his name.
The presentation was made at the site of the new facility, located adjacent to the recently renovated Tusculum Athletic Weight Room on the lower level of the Scott M. Niswonger Commons. The "Joy of Fitness Area" features a turfed training facility spanning over 1,000 square feet. Phase 1 of the project has already been completed with the installation of artificial turf. Phases 2 & 3 will include: fencing, additional sidewalk accessibility, landscaping and a covered canopy.
Joy served as TU's women's soccer coach for the last 26 seasons, including four years (1997-2001) where he was also the head coach of the Tusculum tennis teams.
Tusculum tennis legend and 2004 graduate Lesley Murray Hawk and her family have provided funds for the new facility and have chosen to name the fitness area in honor of Coach Joy in recognition of his longtime service to the athletic department and the University.
The Athletic Weight Room was renovated last summer and opened to rave reviews by TU student-athletes and coaches. The new facility more than triples the former Alumni Weight Room, which was converted last summer, into in a state-of-the-art Wellness Center which is available for use by all University students, faculty and staff.
MORE ABOUT COACH MIKE JOY
Joy announced his retirement in November after compiling a record of 290-169-45, becoming the winningest women's soccer coach in Tusculum and South Atlantic Conference history. His team's finished .500 or better in 22 of his 26 seasons, while also compiling a 116-71-22 worksheet in league matches alone (most in SAC history). Including five seasons at Midway University, Joy compiled 376 career coaching victories which ranks sixth all-time in NCAA Division II history. His .647 winning percentage is listed 43rd in the NCAA record book.
Tusculum won five SAC Championships during Joy's tenure (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2016) as well as four SAC Tournament titles (2000, 2001, 2003, 2005). The Pioneers also captured the NCAA Division II Southeast Region title in 2006, one of five NCAA appearances under Joy (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009).
He mentored six All-America selections, 38 All-Region honorees and 81 All-South Atlantic Conference selections, including 2008 SAC and Southeast Region Player of the Year Danielle Tanner. The Pioneers have also had seven Academic All-America honorees, 19 Academic All-District selections and three SAC Scholar Athletes of the Year.
From 1997-2001, he also compiled 79 wins leading the Tusculum men's and women's tennis programs, the third most victories in school history. In 2001, he guided the women's tennis team to the NCAA Tournament, becoming the first athletic team in TU history to earn a Division II postseason berth.
Joy founded the women's soccer program at the University of Kentucky and led the team to 20 victories in two seasons as a club program. During that time, the 1978 Kentucky graduate helped spearhead the adoption of girls' soccer as a high school varsity sport in Kentucky, and coached the Kentucky Kickers club team to 12 state championships.
Joy and his wife Kathy, are the parents of three children, Heather, Lesli, and Justin. Heather graduated from Tusculum in 1999 after two seasons as goalkeeper. Lesli is a graduate of Midway College, and Justin currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky. Coach Joy also has one grandson, Tyler, who is also a college soccer coach, and six granddaughters, Madison, Brooklynn, Jaydan, Briana, Alexa and Tatum.
MORE ABOUT LESLEY MURRAY HAWK
Lesley Murray Hawk is one of the most decorated student-athletes in Tusculum history. She was a two-sport standout at Tusculum where she lettered on the Pioneer tennis and basketball teams from 2000-2004.
She was the first student-athlete in conference history to be named South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year four times (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004). She posted a 64-2 career singles tennis record including a perfect 22-0 mark in conference matches. She captained the Pioneers to the NCAA Tournament four times, finishing the season nationally-ranked on three occasions.
She earned All-SAC first team accolades four times, was named the SAC Women's Tennis Scholar Athlete of the Year twice and was a 2004 Academic All-District selection.
Hawk was inducted to the Tusculum Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 and the South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame in 2009.
In 2019, the Lesley Murray Hawk Court was dedicated at the Roger M. Nichols Tennis Complex on the Tusculum campus, in honor of her outstanding collegiate playing career.
Lesley and her husband Ryan are the proud parents of two sons, Riley and Landon.
WHAT THEY SAID:
Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum University President
"We are grateful to Lesley and her family for their support for our students. This facility will help equip our student-athletes to be better competitors while improving their health and strength. We appreciate the Hawk family for their continuous support of our athletic program."
Doug Jones, Vice President for Athletics & University Initiatives
"We spent many years working with what we had for a weight room, so this facility and the Athletic Weight Room is a dream come true for the university and the athletic department. When the Joy of Fitness Area is completed, it will add a different dynamic to our department that we've never had. Because of people like Lesley, all of this is possible."
Lesley Murray Hawk '04
"When I first saw the project, I was absolutely on board with the opportunity to help Tusculum Athletics get bigger and better. Coach Joy did so much for me and made a difference in my life, and my family is excited to honor him."
Mike Joy, former women's soccer head coach and tennis head coach
"This is a complete surprise and I'm speechless. I am so honored to be on a plaque with Lesley. She was a special student-athlete but is a more of special human being. I am so grateful for this recognition."
