University of New Hampshire Director of Athletics Allison Rich announced the hiring of Megan Shoniker as the new UNH women’s basketball head coach. Shoniker will be formally introduced as the eighth head coach in program history in a press conference on Thursday, May 2 (4 p.m., Wildcat Stadium, Service Credit Union Victory Club).
“We are excited to welcome Megan Shoniker as the new head coach of our Wildcat women’s basketball program,” Rich said. “During our thorough national search to find the right person to develop and support our student-athletes and lead this team into the future, it became quite evident that along with her great experience, Megan possesses the energy, passion, vision, and charisma that make her an ideal fit for this important role. The very talented pool of candidates reinforced that this program has great potential to compete for America East championships and beyond. We are thrilled to have Megan join our Wildcat team.”
Shoniker most recently served five years on the coaching staff at her alma mater, the University of Rhode Island, including the last two seasons as the associate head coach under head coach Tammi Reiss. URI achieved unprecedented success with Shoniker on staff. In 2023-24, the Rams reached the Atlantic 10 Championship final for just the third time in program history, and the first time since 2003. The 2022-23 URI team set a program record for victories (27) and won two games in the WNIT to advance to the Super 16 after claiming a share of the Atlantic 10 regular-season title for the first time ever. The Rams had back-to-back appearances in the WNIT in 2021-22 and 2022-23 for the first time in program history.
Shoniker coached three All-A10 honorees in her five years, including Rhode Island’s all-time single-season 3-point leader, Sophie Phillips. The program had just one all-conference guard in the nine years before Shoniker arrived. Rhode Island was known for its stingy defense with Shoniker as defensive coordinator, leading the Atlantic 10 in scoring defense each of the last two seasons.
“I want to thank President Dean and Athletic Director Allison Rich for this incredible opportunity to lead the University of New Hampshire women’s basketball program,” Shoniker said. “I believe UNH is a special place with special people, and I look forward to building genuine and authentic relationships throughout the entire UNH community. I would be remiss if I did not also thank Tammi Reiss, Thorr Bjorn and every player that I coached at URI for trusting me and believing in me. I am so excited to be a Wildcat and cannot wait to get to work!”
Shoniker has previous America East Conference coaching experience; she spent the 2018-19 season as an assistant coach at Binghamton University, where she was the recruiting coordinator and organized all aspects of the program’s recruiting efforts, including planning of official visits and travel arrangements.
The Rochester, N.Y., native worked as an assistant coach at Canisius University in Buffalo, N.Y., for four seasons, including her final year (2017-18) as the Golden Griffins’ associate head coach/recruiting coordinator.
From 2012-14, Shoniker worked at St. John Fisher College in her hometown of Rochester. She assisted with player development, recruiting and video operations while earning her Master of Science Degree in Special Education.
Shoniker shined on the court for URI from 2007-11 and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education. She was tabbed to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Team and All-Academic Team. She was also named the Rhode Island Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and a Capital One Academic All-District Second Team Selection, the only player in Rams’ history to win the award. The two-time team captain’s name adorns the school’s Top-10 lists, including No. 1 in program history in minutes played/season (1,066), free throws made/game (18), free throws made/season (159) and field goal attempts/game (38). See below for a complete list of Shoniker’s URI playing records.
After her collegiate career, Shoniker played in Belarus with SBK Olimpia Grodno where she earned First-Team All-Belarusian League and First-Team All-Import in 2012.
Shoniker graduated from Greece Arcadia High School in 2007 as Monroe County’s all-time leading scorer with 2,216 points. She led the Titans to the Class AA State, Western Regional and Sectional Championships as a freshman and was a four-time All-Greater Rochester selection, Team MVP and Section V All-Tournament Team Class AA honoree.
https://unhwildcats.com/news/2024/4/24/megan-shoniker-named-womens-basketball-head-coach
Tagged with: America East UNH
