General | 11/10/2025 1:00:00 PM
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (pacathletics.org) - WeCOACH announced the upcoming 55th class of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy (WCA), set to take place November 16-18, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana, and three coaches from the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) were among those chosen for this year's Academy.
Hosted in collaboration with the NCAA, this impactful Academy offers a multi-day transformational experience focused on leadership development and personal growth for women coaches from all sports and collegiate levels, including both two-year and four-year institutions. Since its inception, more than 2,400 coaches have graduated from the NCAA WCA.
WCA Class #55 features 78 women coaches representing 18 different sports, and 679 total years of coaching experience. Participants come from a diverse collection of institutions across NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, as well as the NAIA and NJCAA.
Those selected from the PAC for this year's academy class include: Saint Vincent College head women's and men's golf coach Samantha Firestone, Westminster College graduate assistant women's soccer coach Chance Hendricks and Thiel College head women's basketball coach Jess Vormelker.
One of the top players in the history of the Saint Vincent women's golf program, Firestone has been the Bearcats' head men's and women's golf coach since January 2020. The Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, native was a four-time all-PAC selection, including three first-team nods in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17. As the Saint Vincent coach, she led the women's team to a third-place finish in 2020-21 and had seven players (four women, three men) earn All-PAC accolades since she began leading the program.
Hendricks just completed her second year as an assistant coach with Westminster's women's soccer program. She was on staff in 2024 when the Titans went 11-6-1 and finished first in the PAC regular season standings with a 9-0-1 conference mark. She joined the Westminster staff after graduating from Marist College after she played in 32 career matches with 27 starts in the midfield and on defense.
Vormelker had a decorated playing career at Thiel on the hardwood, earning PAC Player of the Year in 2019, as well as D3hoops.com All-American status and she was a two-time finalist for the prestigious Jostens Trophy (2018, 2019). After graduating from Thiel, Vormelker began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Waynesburg University and then was an assistant coach at Allegheny College for two seasons. She was named the head women's coach at Thiel in April of 2023, so she enters her third year guiding the program in 2025-26. Vormelker was also selected for the 2023 NCAA Basketball Coaches Academy, which was also held in Indianapolis.
A highlight of this year’s Academy will be the presentation of the 2024-25 WeCOACH Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Jostens, to Tara VanDerveer for her lasting impact on the coaching profession. Attendees will have the opportunity to gain insights and inspiration through a keynote conversation with Coach VanDerveer.
The Academy will also feature a powerhouse panel of distinguished women—Raquel Atawo (WCA #52), Sharon Clark (WCA #4), Lin Dunn, Deanna Gumpf (WCA #25), Britt Harvey (WCA #42/A2.0 #2), Carol “Hutch” Hutchins, Lori Kerans (WCA #33), Muffet McGraw, Shonda Stanton (WCA #36), and moderated by DeeDee Merritt Guster, Managing Director of NCAA Leadership Development. The panel titled Coaches Unfiltered: The Ask Anything Panel,” will allow WCA participants to engage authentically with these trailblazers to share experiences, insights, and advice.
“The Academy experience is nothing short of transformational,” said Vanessa Fuchs, CEO of WeCOACH. “Bringing this program to the NCAA National Office further elevates the impact — immersing women coaches in an environment committed to advancing leadership and strengthening the future of college sports. Our participants leave feeling renewed and equipped with tools, strategies, and a powerful sisterhood of support that extends far beyond the Academy. Data continues to show that our graduates remain in the coaching profession at rates well above the national average — and that retention is exactly the kind of change we are dedicated to scaling alongside the NCAA. We’re also incredibly proud to expand access by awarding more than $38,000 in scholarship funding for Indianapolis participants, thanks to the generosity of our donors and partners.”
ABOUT WeCOACH
Founded in 2011, WeCOACH is a one-of-a-kind 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches in all sports and levels through year-round professional growth & leadership development programs. Prior to Title IX, over 90% of women’s collegiate sports teams were coached by women. Today, over 50 years later, the data indicates that number has decreased to 41% across all three NCAA Divisions, with only 7% women head coaches of color. Only 6% of coaches of men’s teams are women. At the youth level, the data are difficult to estimate, but approximately fewer than 26% of teams are coached by women. WeCOACH launched MOVE the NUMBERS in 2022 to help change the landscape for women coaches and the student-athletes they lead.