Meghan Austin, who played basketball for the University of North Carolina and has coached on the collegiate and scholastic levels for the past 13 years, has been named head coach of the Mary Baldwin University women’s basketball team.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to be part of the Mary Baldwin University community,” Austin said. “I look forward to being part of an environment that values the student-athlete as a whole, both academically and athletically.”
Austin takes over the program from Ross James, who spent four years with the Fighting Squirrels and helped the team to earn three-straight USA South Conference playoff berths. During those three years, MBU posted a 34-28 overall record – among the best three-year stretches in team history.
Originally from Lynchburg, Austin earned a pair of bachelor’s degrees in exercise sports science and psychology, with a minor in coaching, from UNC in 2008. She added a master’s degree in mental health and wellness from Grand Canyon University in 2020.
Austin began her collegiate playing career at Lafayette College, then transferred to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the Tar Heels from 2004-08. A 5-7 guard, she was a member of four ACC championship teams, including two that advanced to the NCAA Division I Final Four (2006-07). Several injuries throughout her career limited her playing time.
She served as the Academic Team Captain from 2006-08 and was the Athletic Directors Scholar Athlete Award winner and on the ACC Academic Honor Roll for multiple seasons. She was also a member of the UNC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
She is taking over the MBU program after three seasons as head coach and administrative assistant at Atlantic Shores Christian School in Virginia Beach.
In her first two seasons, Austin’s team won two conference regular-season championships, two conference post-season titles and twice finished among the top 10 teams in the state tournament. She was selected the conference Coach of the Year in 2019 and helped two of her players to earn conference Players of the Year.
Prior to her time at Atlantic Shores, she spent four years as the head coach at Montreat College. In addition to serving many roles in the athletic department, including fundraiser, SAAC advisor, facility scheduler and recruiter, Austin built a program that advanced to the conference championship game in her second season.
Her coaching career also included stops as an assistant coach at NCAA Division II Coker College (2008-09), assistant/associate head coach at Chowan University (2009-13) and assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at NCAA Division I Charleston Southern University (2013-14).
In addition to her leadership opportunities during her collegiate playing career, she was a presenter at the WBCA National Convention in 2012 and has worked at Sylvia Hatchell’s Basketball Camp at UNC for more than 10 years.
“Meghan Austin’s credentials stood out to the search committee from a very strong pool of candidates,” said MBU Director of Athletics Tom Byrnes. “Several members of the women’s basketball team participated in the search, and agreed with the other members of the search committee that Coach Austin is the right leader for the program. We’re thrilled to have her join the MBU athletic team.”
Austin said, “I want to thank Tom Byrnes and the search committee for putting their trust in me to move the program forward. I am thrilled to be a Fighting Squirrel and to compete alongside my team both in the game of basketball and in life.” Facebook Twitter Email Print
https://www.marybaldwinathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2021-22/releases/20210812pply8p
