Story Courtesy Nate Jarrett, Cincinnati Assistant Director, Communications & Strategic Brand Engagement

Director of Athletics John Cunningham announced the hire of former Bearcats’ captain Katrina Merriweather as the 10th women’s basketball head coach at the University of Cincinnati on Saturday.

A formal introductory press conference for Merriweather will be held on campus on Tuesday with more details to come.  

“I’m excited to announce Katrina Merriweather as the next head coach for our women’s basketball program,” Cunningham said. “Her track record of success at both Wright State and Memphis speaks for itself. She’s been an outstanding recruiter, program builder and developer of talent. As an alumna of Cincinnati and one of the winningest players in school history, she knows the potential this program has and understands what it will take for us to compete at the top of the Big 12. She’s the perfect fit and I’m thrilled to welcome her back to the program.”

A four-year letterwinner for the Bearcats’ Hall of Fame head coach Laurie Pirtle from 1997-01, Merriweather became the program’s first women’s basketball player to advance to four consecutive postseason tournaments. Additionally, she helped lead the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament win as a graduate assistant coach in 2001-02.

Merriweather quickly has become a rising star in the coaching profession, elevating two programs and taking both to the postseason a total of five times, including a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.  

“I’m elated to come back to the University of Cincinnati as the head coach of the women’s basketball program,” Merriweather said. “My time as a student-athlete and as a Bearcat were some of the greatest years of my life, and I’m excited to give back with everything I have to our current players like so many did for me. This is home for me, and I’m honored to wear the C-Paw once again. I’m thankful to John Cunningham and Maggie McKinley for this opportunity and I’m looking forward to working closely with our entire athletics department to compete for championships in the Big 12.”

Merriweather returns to her alma mater with a 151-70 overall record in seven seasons as the head coach of Memphis and Wright State. Most recently, Merriweather led Memphis to a 22-11 season in 2022-23, the program’s first 20-win season in more than a decade, and an appearance in the 2023 WNIT Sweet 16.  

Merriweather took over a four-win Memphis team and immediately produced 16 wins in 2021-22 before the 22-win campaign this season in which the Tigers clinched the two seed in the 2022 AAC Championships, the program’s highest-ever AAC regular season finish, and advanced to a postseason tournament for the first time since 2015-16.

In her two seasons at the helm, the Tigers compiled a 38-23 record and earned three All-Conference selections.

The search was led by Maggie McKinley, Deputy Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator, who worked with Cunningham to bring Merriweather back home. 

“It was truly a no-brainer to bring Katrina Merriweather back to Cincinnati to lead our women’s basketball program,” McKinley said. “She checked every box for what we were looking for in our next head coach. She’s a top recruiter with a proven track record of building programs. She will bring an elite staff with her here, and care and concern for the student-athlete is her top priority. Of course, being a former player, team captain and graduate assistant coach here, she has personal investment in the program. Any time you get the opportunity to bring a Bearcat back to their home and back to the University of Cincinnati family, it’s a win.”

Prior to her tenure at Memphis, Merriweather spent five seasons as the head coach at Wright State, where she took the Raiders to two NCAA Tournaments and was named Horizon League Coach of the Year three times. Merriweather led Wright State to the program’s third appearance and first NCAA Tournament win with an upset over four-seed Arkansas in 2021.

While at the helm, Merriweather led the Raiders to a 113-47 (.706) record, finishing with the best winning percentage in program history. She was a part of all three of the program’s Horizon League tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances, twice as a head coach in 2019 and 2021 and once as an assistant in 2014. The Raiders also earned 16 All-Conference selections in her tenure.

Merriweather was an assistant under Mike Bradbury for six seasons at Wright State from 2010-16 before becoming head coach.

Prior to Wright State, she was an assistant at Purdue from 2003-06, and at UIC for the 2002-03 season.

With the Bearcats, Merriweather made 27 career starts, including 22 in her senior season, and played in 107 games. She helped lead the program to an 83-41 record in her four seasons.

“I’m beyond proud for Katrina,” said Pirtle, who won 310 games over 21 seasons at Cincinnati. “She was a tremendous player in terms of how she handled herself, but most importantly she was a coach and leader on and off the floor. She constantly pulled our team together. This hire should come as no surprise. I speak for all of the UC basketball family when I say we are extremely proud of her and excited to see her come back to lead this program.”

The Indianapolis native graduated from Cincinnati in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in English literature and earned a second bachelor in secondary education in 2002.