After three seasons at the helm of the Lincoln Memorial University women’s basketball program, Lady Railsplitter head coach Roger Hodge has resigned from that position to pursue an alternative career path with the opportunity to spend more time with his family.
"Obviously, we are very sorry to see a coach as well liked and well respected as Roger Hodge leave our athletic department," Athletic Director Roger Vannoy said. "It’s truly been a pleasure to work alongside Coach Hodge for the last three years, and to watch his passionate and ensured guidance of the women’s basketball program. He possesses extremely high character and he will be sorely missed."
A resident of Savannah, Ga., Hodge was hired as the 15th coach in the storied history of the LMU women’s basketball program prior to the 2011-12 season. Despite inheriting a team that returned only three players from the previous season’s 10-16 squad, Hodge guided Lincoln Memorial to a 14-13 mark in his debut. It was the first winning season for the Lady Railsplitters since the 2004-05 campaign.
The Lady Railsplitters experienced similar success in Hodge’s second year, an impressive feat considering that the team’s top three scoring options during the ’11-’12 season were lost to graduation including Dayshalee Salaman, the program’s second all-time leading scorer. The Lady Railsplitters finished 14-15 that season and earned a bid to the Food Lion SAC Championship for the second-straight season.
It was Hodge’s third and final season with the Lady Railsplitters, though, that stood well above the rest. During the 2013-14 campaign, Lincoln Memorial ripped off a 16-11 record, finishing third in the South Atlantic Conference regular-season standings. That marked the most wins for the program since the 2003-04 squad collected 21 victories under current Athletic Director Roger Vannoy. It was also the highest league finish for the Lady Railsplitters since LMU joined the SAC in 2006.
All told, Hodge finished with a 44-39 record in three seasons with the Lady Railsplitters, making three-consecutive appearances in the Food Lion SAC Championship while coaching four All-SAC selections and one All-American. In the three seasons prior to Hodge’s arrival in Harrogate, the Lady Railsplitters were a combined 30-52.
"Coach Hodge’s efforts restored the program to its familiar spot among the top of the league standings while leaving a foundation for even more future successes," continued Roger Vannoy. "We are incredibly appreciative of his three-year tenure and we wish [Coach Hodge] nothing but the best going forward."
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