Meier Joins Auriemma and VanDerveer as AP Coaches of the Year
April 2, 2011
INDIANAPOLIS – After a resurgent year for the University of Miami women’s basketball team, head coach Katie Meier has been tabbed by the Associated Press as its Coach of the Year. For the first time in its 17-year history, the award will be shared, as Meier, Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma and Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer shared this year’s honor.
“Coach Meier has been a role model for the student-athletes and her fellow coaches at the University of Miami for the last six years,” said Acting Director of Athletics Tony Hernandez. “It is great to see her get recognized nationally for being a leader we knew we had all along. We are very proud of our entire women’s basketball staff and team for their successful season.”
Meier led the Hurricanes to a 28-5 overall record and an Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championship with a 12-2 league mark. The Wheaton, Ill. native led the `Canes reach to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004 and to their first tourney victory since 1993.
All of this was accomplished just one season after Miami was the No. 12 seed in the ACC Tournament and was selected eighth in the 2010-11 ACC Preseason Poll.
The regular season title was the first for the Miami program and the No. 2 seed in the 2011 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament was the team’s highest seed in school history since joining the league in 2004-05.
Meier became just the third coach in program history to earn 100 victories at UM when her squad defeated Gardner-Webb in its NCAA Tournament First Round matchup.
