Hall of Fame
Amy Lynch Byrne is the only Shippensburg University women’s tennis athlete to win both a No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles title at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships in the same year – a feat achieved in her senior season of 1995-96.
Byrne, the 1996 PSAC Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Year, graduated eighth all-time on Shippensburg’s career match wins list despite competing for the majority of her career at either No. 1 or No. 2 singles – facing the top opponents of each team.
She is a four-time PSAC champion, including the No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles (with Jen McKonly) titles in 1995. No Raider has won a PSAC singles championship since she did so in 1995. Additionally, Byrne won No. 2 doubles in 1993 as a sophomore and No. 5 singles as a freshman in 1992 – a year in which she went a perfect 18-0 in the flight.
As a senior, Byrne posted an impressive 18-2 record at No. 1 singles and a 17-5 mark at No. 1 doubles en route to her conference award. She defeated Bloomsburg’s Stacy Withrow 6-1, 6-2 in the finals after dispatching Millersville’s Kristin Maneval 6-1, 6-0 in the semifinals. Her doubles title with McKonly was an 8-6 victory over Bloomsburg’s Trish Sweeney and Ashley Goetz.
Overall, Byrne posted an 88-27 career record: 51-15 in singles, 37-12 in doubles. She was 26-7 at No. 1 singles in her career. The Raiders won two PSAC Championships in her four years, and finished second in the other two seasons.
Byrne was active in Delta Zeta sorority during her time at Shippensburg and was also involved with the Special Olympics. After graduating in 1996, Byrne was a volunteer assistant coach for two years at SU while she pursued a graduate degree in communication/journalism.
After Shippensburg, Byrne pursued careers in both social work and education. After getting married in 2005 and having her first daughter Ava in 2006, Byrne was a stay-at-home mom for nearly 13 years. During that time, she and her husband Ed ’90 were blessed with two more daughters; Ella (11), and Mia (10).
Currently, Byrne teaches sixth grade special-education classes in the Manheim Township School District in Lancaster. Additionally, Byrne and her husband can be found on a soccer field, a basketball court, at a swimming pool, or a lacrosse field cheering on their children.
