McKendree University director of athletics Chuck Brueggemann announced on Tuesday that Melissa Ringhausen has accepted the full-time role of associate director of athletics with the University. In taking over the new role, Ringhausen has resigned her position as the head women’s basketball coach for the Bearcats.
"As an administrator, Melissa used her expertise to strengthen our policies and procedures in helping McKendree through its transition to NCAA Division II membership," said Brueggemann. "She also served as the interim director of athletics during a crucial time in our transition to which we are truly grateful. With her assistance over the last few years, our department has seen substantial growth in many areas. We are looking forward to contributions she will bring to the table in this full-time role as our department continues to grow and evolve.
"At the same time, we want to thank Melissa for her efforts in building a well-rounded women’s basketball program at McKendree," Brueggemann continued. "In her 18 years of leading our program, our teams were successful on the basketball court, in the classroom and out in the community. She helped graduate students at a high rate, enjoyed strong retention and her teams always boasted an exceptional grade-point average. It is a high-quality program which our fans and alumni can be proud of, and it is all because of Melissa’s work."
Ringhausen is the all-time wins leader in McKendree women’s basketball history. In her 18 years on the Bearcats’ bench, Ringhausen collected 316 career victories. During that time, she guided McKendree to 11 20-win seasons, including a program-record 26 victories during the 2004-05 season. Under Ringhausen’s leadership, the Bearcats qualified for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship nine times in a 14-year span. Over those 14 years, Ringhausen was an eight-time Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA)-NAIA Coach of the Year honoree, as well as a two-time recipient of American Midwest Conference (AMC) Coach of the Year accolades.
In the classroom, the Bearcats were just as successful under Ringhausen’s guidance. McKendree was recognized among the NAIA’s top 25 academic teams on six different occasions by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), including a No. 2 ranking in 2001-02. McKendree also boasted a 100 percent graduation rate among those who completed their four years in the program.
"I am extremely thankful to the administration of McKendree for letting me serve as the women’s basketball coach for the past 18 years," said Ringhausen. "I believe we have built a program that our fans and former players can be proud of on many levels. We enjoyed success athletically, academically and in the community. In turn, the young ladies who have come through our program have taken those attributes and have built on them as they go out into the world and represent not only themselves but McKendree University. It’s been a blessing for me to be able to coach those young ladies."
Over her tenure at McKendree, Ringhausen coached 176 Academic All-Conference performers and 44 NAIA Scholar-Athlete honorees. She also guided 24 first-team All-Conference players, two NAIA All-Americans, two Kodak All-Americans, four AMC Freshman of the Year recipients and one AMC Player of the Year.
When McKendree was accepted into the NCAA Division II membership process in the summer of 2010, Ringhausen was given added responsibilities as an assistant director of athletics. She served as the Bearcats interim director of athletics from March through July of 2012. Following that four-month appointment, Ringhausen was named an associate director of athletics at McKendree in addition to her basketball duties. She is looking forward to her new full-time role within the athletics administration at McKendree.
"This is a great opportunity for me both personally and professionally," said Ringhausen. "We’re in a great time of growth not only in the athletic department here at McKendree but for the University as a whole, and it’s exciting to be a part of that. I look forward to helping us become one of the top member institutions in NCAA Division II."
Brueggemann said that a national search to find Ringhausen’s successor will begin immediately, and that he hopes to explore a potential pool of candidates in the very near future.
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