Walter Manderson is in his eighth season as the head coach of the Shippensburg University women’s tennis team and is an integral figure to the Shippensburg athletic program with a tireless commitment to Raider athletics. Manderson is a sturdy leader for the program and has guided the Lady Raiders to 21 victories during his tenure as head coach.
Manderson has been involved in tennis for more than 30 years and brings to the table an inordinate amount of knowledge and perception of the sport. During his tenure as the Lady Raider head coach, Manderson instructed skillful recruit Lena Pavilionyte ‘06, a four-time All-PSAC selection who finished her singles career with a 45-15 record.
In 2005-06, Manderson helped the women's tennis program to finish with a 6-7 overall record, including a 5-3 mark in the spring. During that season, Shippensburg’s top-two singles competitors totaled 21 individual victories and posted the most team victories in three years.
During his second year with the program, in the 2004-05 campaign, Manderson guided Shippensburg to a 4-5 record, including a victory in the Western Division of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). The highlight of the season was a hard-fought 5-4 victory over Indiana (Pa.), a squad that advanced to the conference playoffs that season.
During his first season at Shippensburg, Manderson guided the Lady Raiders to a 4-7 record during the 2003-04 campaign. The Lady Raiders opened that season with wins in two of the first three matches, defeating Clarion and perennial PSAC powerhouse California (Pa.) University.
Manderson arrived in Shippensburg in the spring of 2003 after serving as the head coach at Smithsburg High School in Maryland. He was the assistant tennis coach at Penn State-Mont Alto for five seasons from 1998 to 2002.
In addition, Manderson has been the coach and captain of the Chambersburg men’s 4.0 tennis team. He started his career at Shippensburg as the coach at the summer tennis camp, providing instructions on strokes, conditioning and strategies of tennis.
Manderson is a veteran of the U.S. Army. He served from March 1963 until his retirement in July 1984. He held various positions and billets of increasing responsibility in the field of Army Logistical Planning and Support in Germany, Vietnam and the United States. He served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969 with the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
Manderson holds a B.S. degree in business and management from the University of Maryland. Following his graduation in 1984 he worked for Quest Research Corporation from 1985 to 1988 doing logistic support planning and documentation of U.S. Army programs and systems. Manderson worked as Configuration Manager for American Systems Corporation from 1988 to 1990.
Manderson began teaching at Cumberland Perry Area Vocational Technical School in 1991. He instructed students in material handling and distribution for future work in a shipping industry. He retired from teaching in June of 2002.
