BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. (WTVA/BMC Athletics) – Warner Creekmore will be stepping down as the head men's and women's tennis coach at Blue Mountain College, the school announced Wednesday.

Creekmore, one of the winningest high school coaches in the state of Mississippi, is responsible for resurrecting the women's team at BMC and starting a newly-formed men's program.

During her tenure, BMC Tennis steadily flourished inside the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC). The SSAC is considered the premiere tennis conference in the nation.

Both programs saw increasing wins in each season Creekmore guided them, with the most recent season seeing them close in on the .500 mark.

Creekmore won numerous state titles while coaching New Albany High School before coming to BMC.

"I have enjoyed my time at BMC and I'm very thankful to have had the opportunity to build a tennis program again," Creekmore said. "I have thoroughly enjoyed the friendships I have made with various staff, faculty and students at BMC and I will truly miss my players. When you spend hours and hours with student-athletes, whether it's on the court at practice, on road trips or just them hanging out in my office in between chapel or classes, the bond that is made between coach and players is tremendous. My hope for Blue Mountain Tennis is that it will continue to grow and continue to improve every year. I pray that the administration will search for someone who not only loves tennis and what BMC represents, but also an individual who genuinely cares about the student-athletes and their education."

BMC Athletic Director Will Lowrey said, "We will not be able to find a replacement who will invest more into their student-athletes than Coach Warner Creekmore has in her time with us at BMC. She loves each and every one of them as her own and it showed. We will forever be grateful for her tireless dedication and work ethic while leading our tennis program. The next person will prosper in this position because of the culture she has built with us."

Creekmore's teams have qualified for the SSAC Tournament every year under her direction and have won numerous awards handed down by the conference while at BMC.