For the last 30 years, Steve Bietau has been the head coach for the K-State tennis squad. He is the second-longest tenured coach in the history of K-State athletics.
On Wednesday, Bietau announced that he will be retiring after this season.
“Kansas State University and K-State tennis have been our family’s lifeblood for 30 years, and after thorough reflection and discussion with my wife, I have decided that it is time to step away,” Bietau said according to a K-State Sports press release. “To help facilitate the next steps and to ensure a smooth transition, I will be stepping away from the program as of today.”
Despite announcing that he will officially step down at the end of the season, Bietau will not be with the program for the remainder of the 2014 season. Assistant coach Liz Ullathorne will step in as head coach for the remainder of the season. After that, a national search will be conducted to find the next head coach.
During his time at K-State, Bietau was named conference coach of the year twice (Big Eight ’89, Big 12 ’00). Bietau will also go down as the winningest head coach in school history, finishing with a record of 270-354.
“We are very appreciative of Coach Bietau’s three decades of service to Kansas State as he worked tirelessly to build our tennis program,” K-State Athletic Director John Currie said, according to the same press release. “His hard work, patience and dedication helped navigate our program through some difficult times, and lead to the realization of the new Mike Goss Tennis Stadium and has positioned us for continued development and success.”