Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Year: 2010

Shannon MacMillan

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2006  –  South Africa
  • 2010  –  Argentina
  • 2011  –  Guatemala

Shannon enjoyed a career with the US Women’s National team for 12 years; playing in 176 games and scoring 60 goals.

During that time she won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and another gold as an alternate for the 2004 Greece Olympics. She also played a vital role in winning the 1999 Women’s World Cup and followed that up with a third place finish in the 2003 Women’s World Cup. In 2002, Shannon was named the US Soccer female athlete of the year. Shannon was a member of the US Soccer Envoys that conducted clinics in South Africa and Guatemala emphasizing the value of teamwork, respect, and leadership. In 2016, Shannon was elected to the US Soccer Hall of Fame.

In February of 2014, Shannon was inducted into the Cal South Hall of Fame.

Shannon currently holds a USSF National “B” license. She is a Certified Advance Sports Technology Facilitator. Shannon also is a Fox Soccer and ESPN/SEC analyst, covering matches such as the U17 and U20 Women’s World Cup.

Prior to joining the Sharks she was the Assistant Coach for the UCLA Womens team for two years, 2007-2009, helping lead the Bruins to two final four appearances. She is a 2008 Inductee to San Diego’s Breitbard Hall of Champions. Shannon graduated from the University of Portland with a degree in Social work. She was also a four time All American for the Pilots and the winner of the prestigious Hermann Award as college soccer’s top player in 1995.

Juergen Sommer

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2010  –  Ivory Coast

A native of Naples, Florida, Sommer brings with him 8 years’ experience in the European professional league, where he enjoyed international acclaim as a player with Luton Town Football Club and Queen’s Park Rangers Football Club where he was the first American to play in the coveted English Premier League and was named Goalkeeper of the Year in 1993. Juergen’s playing career also encompassed playing with the Columbus Crew and New England Revolution where he was an MLS Allstar. In addition, Juergen’s acclaimed playing career also included representing the United States Men’s National Team over a 14 year period playing World Cups in 1994 and 1998. As a college player, Juergen was a four year letterman and captain for the Indiana University Soccer team and was a 1988 Division 1 National Champion, Defensive MVP of the 1988 NCAA Championships and was 1990 National Player of the Year in College Soccer.

After Juergen retired from playing in 2002 he served as assistant coach for the Men’s National team for the World Cup, Copa America, and Gold Cup tournaments. In 2013 Juergen was named Director of Soccer and Head Coach of the Indy Eleven.

Tamika Raymond

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2010  –  Malawi
  • 2011  –  Tanzania
  • 2012  –  China
  • 2013  –  Ukraine
  • 2013  –  Nigeria
  • 2014  –  Sri Lanka

Tamika Maria Raymond is an Assistant Coach for the women’s basketball team at the University of Kansas. Prior to serving in that role, Raymond played professional basketball in the WNBA for six seasons. During the 2002 WNBA Draft, the Minnesota Lynx selected Raymond with the sixth overall pick. She played her last season in the WNBA with the Connecticut Sun.

Prior to playing in the WNBA, Raymond attended the University of Connecticut, where she majored in interpersonal communications. She played for the school’s women’s basketball teams, which won Division I National Championship teams in 2000 and 2002. She completed her four-year collegiate career with averages of 10.6 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game. She finished as UConn’s all-time leader in field goal percentage at 70.3 percent.

Raymond had a stellar high school basketball career in Dayton, OH. She was named the 1997 and 1998 Ohio Player of the Year and was selected to the 1997-98 Associated Press girls Division I All-Ohio high school basketball team. She was named “Ohio’s Miss Basketball” by the Associated Press.

Nykesha Sales

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2009  –  Uganda
  • 2010  –  Cape Verde
  • 2011  –  Haiti
  • 2012  –  Venezuela
  • 2013  –  Ukraine
  • 2014  –  South Korea

The all-time leading scorer in Connecticut Sun history, Nykesha Sales returns to the team for her second season as the community liaison and an assistant to the coaching staff.

In 2013, Sales made numerous community relations appearances on behalf of the Sun, practiced regularly with the team and also provided color commentary on selected team broadcasts.

Sales was the first member of the Connecticut Sun franchise, which began as the Orlando Miracle prior to the 1999 season. She played with the team from 1999-2007, helping the Sun reach two WNBA Finals and four straight Eastern Conference Finals between 2003 and 2006.

A seven-time WNBA All-Star, Sales was the second player in league history to amass 3,000 points, 500 assists and 400 steals during her career – joining Sheryl Swoopes. She finished her career with 3,955 points, 683 assists and 490 steals.

Monique Ambers

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2010  –  Tunisia

Monique Ambers joins Monarchs head coach Maura McHugh, Michele Cherry and Steve Shuman to complete the coaching staff.

This is Ambers’ second coaching position, having been an assistant coach at George Washington University from 1994 – 1997. During that time, the Lady Colonials amassed an 80-19 record. The former professional basketball player was initially drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in the fourth round of the 1997 WNBA draft. Ambers reached the WNBA Semifinals with this team. In 1997, Ambers averaged .444 field goal percentage, .400 free throw percentage and 1.2 rebounds per game in 19 games played for Phoenix. Ambers will focus on developing the skills of the post players and advanced scouting for the Monarchs.

A 1993 graduate of Arizona State University, Ambers holds a bachelor of science degree in Child Development.

Misty May-Treanor

Volleyball

Served as envoy

  • 2010  –  Russia

Misty May was one of the greatest college athletes of her time. She won consecutive National Volleyball Player of the Year awards and as a senior was presented the Honda-Broderick Cup as the nation’s top collegiate female athlete in any sport.

After completing her collegiate eligibility, May joined the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team, but her traditional volleyball career did not last long. A few months later, May quit the team to focus on her budding beach volleyball career with partner Holly McPeak. The two participated in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games but did not medal.

Perhaps the most important moment of May’s experience at the Sydney Games was her family meeting the family of indoor volleyball player Kerri Walsh, which led to the two players becoming a beach volleyball tandem.

“She drove down to my house in California and I said, ‘Why don’t you just try it? Either you like it or you don’t,’ ” May said.

Together, May and Walsh became the most dominant team in the sport, winning gold medals at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and London 2012 Olympic Games. Along the way, May-Treanor (she married baseball player Matt Treanor in 2004) made sure to remember her roots; she would often sign autographs and take pictures with as every fan wanting one.

“You never know what conversation will change somebody’s life,” she said.

Jill Stephens

Volleyball

Served as envoy

  • 2010  –  Zambia

Jill Stephens was named as an associate athletic director at Florida Southern in January of 2018 following one of the most prolific head coaching runs in Florida Southern history. Stephens spent 17 years as the head coach of the Moccasin volleyball program, and took the Mocs to the NCAA Division II championship match in her final season.

In her new role, Stephens will continue to hold the title of senior woman administrator. She will oversee the scheduling of athletic facilities and serve as the administrator to a number of different sports, while continuing to serve as the department’s Title IX coordinator. Stephens finished her head coaching career with a record of 396-183 (.684) including a 188-82 record in Sunshine State Conference action.

During her time as the head coach at Florida Southern the Moccasins made 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, won two Sunshine State Conference championships (2006 and 2017), and won the 2017 NCAA South Region championship. A former volleyball all-American for the Mocs, Stephens began her coaching career at Florida Atlantic where she spent two seasons as an assistant coach before returning to Florida Southern to join longtime head coach Lois Webb’s staff in 1997.

In 2001, Stephens was named as the head coach at her alma mater and helped continue the tradition of success for Moccasin volleyball. In her 17 years as head coach, the Mocs posted 20 or more wins 13 times, including each of her final six seasons. Under her guidance, the Moccasins had 20 AVCA all-America selections and more than 30 all-Sunshine State Conference performers. She was also named as the SSC Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2017, and was the AVCA South Region Coach of the Year in 2017.

In addition, Stephens coached 26 AVCA all-South Region honorees and multiple CoSIDA academic all-district selections. Her teams were also consistently awarded the AVCA Team Academic Award, and her student-athletes were a mainstay on the SSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. She retired from coaching with 38 victories against top-25 opponents, and saw her team finish No. 2 in the final AVCA poll of the season in her final year at the helm of the program.

Butch May

Volleyball

Served as envoy

  • 2010  –  Zambia

Robert “Butch” May is a former volleyball player who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and is the father of multiple Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor. He was a part of the Santa Monica College national collegiate championship team in 1964 as well as an alternate on the US men’s olympic team that same year.

Butch has most recently coached the Irvine Valley College’s volleyball team, helping them win its second straight state club title. He was an assistant coach for the IVC women’s sand team.

Linda Hamilton

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2007  –  Philippines
  • 2010  –  Ivory Coast
  • 2011  –  Brazil
  • 2013  –  Chile
  • 2014  –  Bangladesh
  • 2015  –  Burma
  • 2016  –  China
  • 2019  –  Egypt

Linda Hamilton enters her fifth season as head coach of the Southwestern women’s soccer team, coming off a season in which she was named the SCAC Coach of the Year, leading the Pirates to the SCAC Championship match.

Hamilton brings a wealth of experience to the program, both as a player and coach. She played collegiately at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina, earning All-America status and all-conference honors all four years. She was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in 1988. Hamilton was a member of the United States National Team, where she played in 82 international matches. She helped the team to a World Cup gold medal in 1991 and bronze in 1995.

Hamilton, who owns a United States Soccer Federation “A” coaching license, got her start in coaching at Old Dominion University as the team’s head coach from 1993 to 1995. She later served as an assistant at Hofstra University (2006-2007) and most recently served as head coach at the University of North Florida (2007-2013). She has additionally worked with the Easter Seals and National Multiple Sclerosis Society (2002-2006), serving as director of development.

Willie Green

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2010  –  Cape Verde

Born in Detroit in 1981, Willie Green went to college at Detroit Mercy prior to be drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2nd Round of the 2003 NBA Draft. Playing as a Shooting Guard, Green played for the Philadelphia 76ers from 2003 to 2010, before playing for the New Orleans Hornets (2010-2011), the Atlanta Hawks (2011-2012), the Los Angeles Clippers (2012-2014), and the Orlando Magics (2014-2015). Of his 12 seasons in the NBA, Green played 731 games (36 being playoff games), averaging 8.3 points per game.