Bays and Edens Earn Title Bumps, Become Assistant Directors of Athletics

Doneva Bays and Burena Edens have both earned Assistant Director of Athletics titles, effective immediately

June 5, 2024

MILLIGAN, Tenn. – Milligan University Director of Athletics Christian Pope is pleased to announce the restructuring of the Milligan Buffaloes athletics staff. Longtime staff members, Doneva Bays and Burena Edens, are both being elevated to the position of assistant director of athletics.

Bays' title will be Assistant Director of Athletics for Internal Operations/Senior Woman Leader/Head Volleyball Coach while Edens is now the Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Medicine.

"Both serve Milligan and our department with distinction and are vital members of our team," Pope said. "Burena and Doneva continue to display nothing but excellence and serve as true servant leaders in the manner with which they approach everything they do."

A 1997 Milligan graduate and 2009 Milligan Athletics Hall of Fame inductee as a multi-sport standout for the Buffs, Bays recently completed her 17th season at the helm of the Milligan women's volleyball program in 2024. In 2021, she was named as the school's first-ever Senior Woman Leader (SWL). Bays will continue to serve as the head volleyball coach as well.

Bays is the winningest volleyball coach in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) history with 316 career victories and 205 AAC regular season victories. Under Bays, the Buffs have never had a losing record in conference play and have recorded 15 straight seasons with winning records in league play.

Bays was honored as the AAC Coach of the Year for the second time in her career in 2023 and the Buffs posted a 26-7 record and finished as the AAC regular season runner-up with a 19-2 conference record the same year. Bays notched her 300th win at Milligan and 200th AAC win during the 2023 season. Also, Bays was inducted to the Carter County Athletics Hall of Fame in spring 2024.

A native of Nauheim, Germany, Edens has been in the United States since 2004, and, prior to Milligan, served as head athletic trainer for Virginia Intermont College's 10-sport athletic program. Edens joined Milligan's athletic staff as the assistant athletic trainer in June 2014 and moved into the role as head athletic trainer in 2018.

Edens got her start as a graduate assistant at East Tennessee State University, covering cheerleading, women's tennis, and track & field. Prior to her time at ETSU, Edens completed an internship at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and four years of undergraduate work at the University of Tennessee at Martin.

Edens holds a master's degree in sports management from ETSU (2011) and a bachelor's degree in health and human performance with a concentration in athletic training from UT Martin (2008). Edens also minored in German while studying at UT Martin.