Hawai’i Pacific University has named Katie Novak as its new head women’s basketball coach. HPU Executive Director of Athletics Dr. Debbie Snell made the announcement.
Novak comes to HPU after five seasons as the head women’s basketball coach and senior woman administrator at NCAA Division III Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas.
“We want to welcome Katie to our HPU Ohana,” said Dr. Snell. “She emerged as a great candidate in our national search with her experience as a coach and student-athlete in all three NCAA Divisions. She has a great passion for leading our student-athletes both on and off the court. We are excited to give her the reins to our storied program.”
The 2021 American Southwest Conference West Division Coach of the Year, Novak arrives at HPU after directing the Lobos to consecutive appearances in the ASC Tournament — two of the three in program history. She directed Sul Ross to a 14-12 overall record in 2021-22, the second-best season since joining NCAA Division III, and the school’s first winning season since 2003. In 2020-21, Lobos advanced to the semifinals of the ASC Championships. She coached SRSU’s first WBCA honorable mention All-American, Vania Hampton, in 2021-22.
Novak has a record of 42-83 in her six seasons in Alpine, marking the second-highest winning total since SRSU joined the American Southwest Conference. She received the Sul Ross Academic Excellence in Coaching Award in 2020-21 and served as the SRSU women’s tennis coach in the 2020 season. The SRSU women’s basketball team was awarded the ASC Team Sportsmanship Award for the 2018-19 season.
Prior to her position at Sul Ross, Novak spent three seasons as an assistant coach and strength coach at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, where she helped guide OLLU to three consecutive Red River Conference titles, and three straight NAIA Tournaments including two NAIA Sweet 16 appearances.
“I am thrilled to be the new head coach at HPU!” said Novak. “I consider myself lucky to be able continue my passion for teaching the game on this beautiful island, while empowering young women to work hard, be leaders in their communities, and pursue their dreams. I would like to thank Dr. Debbie Snell and the entire search committee for this opportunity. I immediately felt welcome and my family and I are excited to be a part of this great Ohana!”
As a player, Novak was a starter and team captain at NCAA Division II Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) for three seasons before suffering a knee injury. She was a three-time All-Academic Great Lakes Valley Conference as well as a conference scholar-athlete award winner. In addition, she won the Kinesiology/Sports Management departmental academic achievement award and graduated Magna Cum Laude.
After earning a medical hardship redshirt, she transferred to Incarnate Word (Texas) to finish her career, starting 24 games over two seasons. In her senior season, she averaged 8.0 points and shot .363 from the 3-point arc as part of the first class of UIW student-athletes to compete in NCAA Division I and the Southland Conference.
Novak earned her Bachelor of Science in Sports Management in 2013 from Saint Joseph’s, and added a Master of Science in Sports Management from Incarnate Word in 2014. She became a certified strength coach with the National Council on Strength and Fitness in 2019.
Novak is married to William Lenoir. The couple has a son, Walker Novak Lenoir.
https://hpusharks.com/news/2022/7/15/katie-novak-new-sharks-womens-basketball-coach.aspx
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