OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University is the first NAIA institution to partner with WeCOACH, an organization dedicated to recruitment, retention and advancement of women coaches at all levels.
OCU coaches will benefit from professional development opportunities afforded through the collaboration with WeCOACH. Programs offered by WeCOACH will feature nationally renowned experts addressing timely topics impacting the coaching profession.
The Stars will team with WeCOACH to actively identify and build the pipeline of women on campuses who aspire to enter the coaching profession by hosting "Catch a Vision" sessions that will provide best practices for securing coaching opportunities, networking and career strategy.
"I am extremely excited to partner with WeCOACH to provide year-round professional growth and leadership development programs to OCU women coaches," Oklahoma City Director of Athletics Corey Bray said. "Being the first NAIA institution to join WeCOACH shows OCU's commitment to recruiting, advancing and retaining women coaches. I am also very eager to explore how WeCOACH can provide educational opportunities to current and future female OCU student-athletes who are interested in being the next generation of women coaches in all sports at all levels. The future is bright for OCU women coaches and female student-athletes."
OCU is demonstrating its dedication to empowering female coaches through mentorship opportunities, coaching academies and pathway programs, among other initiatives provided by WeCOACH.
"We are thrilled to welcome the Oklahoma City Stars women coaches to our WeCOACH Community as our first NAIA group member," said Vanessa Fuchs, CEO of WeCOACH. "Our focus this year has been to expand our reach into new levels of sport to further our mission to impact and elevate women coaches in all sports and levels. We thank Corey Bray and the Oklahoma City University leadership for investing in their women coaches as we celebrate Title IX at 50."
In 2021-22, the Stars took ninth in the NAIA Directors' Cup standings for their ninth consecutive top-10 finish in the standings, which measure the overall strength of athletics departments throughout the country. Oklahoma City has captured 72 national championships in all sports. OCU has won at least one national title each year for the past 29 years dating back to 1993-94 after taking the NAIA men's indoor track & field title and the NAIA softball title in 2021-22.
Fifty years ago, the U.S. federal civil rights law commonly known as Title IX was enacted as part of the Education Amendments of 1972 to prohibit sex-based discrimination in any school.
About WeCOACH
Founded in 2011, WeCOACH is a one-of-a-kind 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, more than 90 percent of women's collegiate sports teams were coached by women. Today, 50 years later, data indicates that number has decreased to a stagnant 43% in Division I (41 percent in all three NCAA Divisions),
with only 7.3 percent women coaches of color. A dearth 5 percent women coach men's teams, and at the youth level, the data is hard to estimate (approximately 20 percent of teams are coached by women). As part of its year-long Title IX 50th Anniversary campaign, WeCOACH launched MOVE the NUMBERS to help change the landscape for women coaches and to impact history for the next 50 years. For more information visit wecoachsports.org/50th