East Central University Athletics

Cheri Lindsay joined the ECU Athletics Department for the 2020 season, becoming the third head coach in program history. Lindsay was named the Oklahoma Coaches Association "coach of the year" for the 2021-22 season. The tigers had 3 players named All conference players Taty Garcia, Alejandra Delgado, and Emma Strickland. 

In her first season the Tigers went 5-7 overall and 4-6 in the Great American Conference, in a shorted season due to COVID 19.  ECU advanced to the GAC Championship Quarterfinals, its first appearance in the GAC Tournament since the 2013 season.

The Tigers also saw Thalianette Garcia claim All-GAC Second Team honors, the first for ECU since 2014 and just the second time an ECU player was named to the second team.

The team also performed well in the classroom, with five earned a spot on the GAC All-Academic Team and four on the D2ADA All-Academic Team.

Lindsay spent the last two seasons as the first assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Seattle University, an NCAA Division I team in the Western Athletic Conference.  During her time with the Redhawks, the team advanced to the WAC Tournament both years, saw one All-WAC Second Team pick, the 2018 WAC Setter of the Year and nine Academic All-GAC selections.

"I'm honored to be joining the ECU Athletic Department and am excited to lead the team to new heights as their head coach," Lindsay said.  "Dr. Jeff Williams has an impactful vision for the program moving forward and I thank him for this opportunity. I'm eager to work with the team, connect with the community and recruit for the future." 

Prior to heading to Seattle, Lindsay was the head coach and assistant athletic director at Bethany College (Lindsborg, Kan.) for three seasons.  She was also an adjunct professor in the school of Business and Athletics at Bethany.

From 2012-14, Lindsay served as an assistant coach at Tiffin University in Ohio. Additional coaching experience includes serving as the head coach for the U15 and U17 Black Swamp Volleyball Club teams.

"The ECU Campus is located in close proximity to an abundance of volleyball talent," added Williams.  "As a search committee, we were looking for someone who believed they would be successful at ECU, who shared our values of balancing academic and athletic success, and had proven ability in recruiting, developing and graduating high-achieving student-athletes.  Coach Lindsay has successful experience in all of those areas and her experiences have been at different levels of competition (NCAA DI, DII and NAIA)."

Lindsay got her coaching start at Prairie View A&M University where she served as a student coach from 2011-12. She played volleyball for the Panthers from 2008-11.

A Denver, Colo., native, Lindsay earned a bachelor's degree in communication studies from Prairie View A&M University in 2012 and a master's in business administration from Tiffin University in 2013.

Lindsay’s Career Coaching Record
Year                 School                         Record
2020-21           East Central                 5-7
2021-22.          East Central                 15-14 (11-5 conference)
Total                                                      5-7 (1 Year)
                                                              20-21 (2 Years)