The assistant women’s bowling coach at Stephen F. Austin University, who is married to the program’s head coach, resigned after his affair with a student-athlete came to light, officials said Thursday.
When officials at the Nacogdoches, Texas, school learned about the relationship in April, Director of Athletics Ryan Ivey confronted assistant coach Steven Lemke, 38, and he did not deny the relationship, officials said.
Given the option of resigning or having the school fire him, Lemke chose the former.
“Mr. Lemke is no longer an employee of the university,” SFA chief marketing officer Graham Garner said. “He chose to resign so we consider the matter closed.”
Head coach Amber Lemke remains the head coach and she filed for divorce against her now-estranged husband on April 27, according to court records.
The athlete was not identified, but Garner said this past bowling season had been her senior campaign.
Women’s bowling is one of the campus’ most competitive sports, as the Ladyjacks were NCAA runners-up to McKendree University last season. Also in 2022, the Ladyjacks won the Intercollegiate Team Championship, considered an equal title to the NCAAs.
Steven Lemke and Amber Lemke could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday.
Steven Lemke acknowledged the relationship to the Daily Sentinel, saying it was between consenting adults.
“I knew it was kind of a no-no but there’s not a rule saying it can’t happen,” he told the newspaper. “There’s not a law saying I’m going to go to jail for doing something like this. There’s nothing in stone. I guess it’s just an ethics code, like we frown upon it, but there’s no rule, there’s no law broken.”
