Wilson to move to full-time Associate Director of Athletics

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – University of Wisconsin-Platteville Director of Athletics, Shannon James Ealy, announced Thursday the transition of Megan Wilson into the position of full-time Associate Athletic Director effective June 1.  Over the past two years, Wilson has split time as Associate Athletic Director, Senior Woman Administrator, and head women's basketball coach.

Wilson will be able to bring both a coach and administrator's perspective to the department to better serve the student-athletes and staff.  Wilson will primarily oversee compliance, eligibility, and department budgets in addition to maintaining her role as Senior Woman Administrator which she took over in 2017 when Ealy arrived. She will also assist the Athletic Director in the day-to-day duties of the athletic department, allowing Ealy to focus additional time on expanding revenue generation and external relations.

"Megan has invested a great deal of time in our program the last two years as an administrator, while juggling other responsibilities, and she is very talented, with a bright future ahead of her," Ealy stated. "I look forward to continuing to work with Megan on a daily basis to achieve greater success in our athletic program and continuing to serve our student-athletes, coaches and staff.  We have a lot of ideas and this structure will allow us to better implement those plans".

"To step away from coaching has been the toughest decision I have made in my life to date, but I'm extremely grateful to Chancellor Shields and Shannon Ealy for the opportunity to continue to serve the student-athletes, programs and coaches at an institution that I believe in," said Wilson. "I am excited for this new role to continue to work with our dedicated and talented staff, collaborating to help our athletic programs compete at the highest level."

Wilson took over the helm of the women's basketball program and joined the Pioneer staff in the spring of 2010. She led the Pioneers for nine seasons and coached three of those teams to three of the best finishes in program history.  This past season's team finished fifth in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and made it to the WIAC tournament for the first time since 2015.  Wilson's 2013-14 and 2014-15 teams both finished fourth in the WIAC in back-to-back seasons and hosted the program's first ever home WIAC tournament game in the 2014-15 season. Wilson coached nineteen All-WIAC selections in her nine years along with one D3hoops.com all-region selection, Alyssa Krajco.

"Megan is a natural competitor and winner having won two high school basketball state championships, one college basketball national championship and achieving some of the best seasons in our women's basketball history," Ealy commented.  "I know this decision is met with mixed emotions for Megan, however, I am extremely confident in her abilities and excited that she will positively affect so many of our student-athletes. This transition will also better allow her to spend the necessary time with her family at this challenging time, which is the number one priority".

The transition to full-time administrator was not an easy decision for the veteran coach, having coached at the collegiate level since 2005, but was one of much thought and careful consideration. "This was a bittersweet decision for me.  I have been fortunate to coach some dedicated students, talented athletes and most importantly, incredible women.  I truly hope that I was able to impact some of their lives even a fraction of the way they have impacted mine," said Wilson.

Many factors played a role in the decision making processes, but the intent was to always serve the student-athletes and athletic department in the best possible way.  One consideration of the change was introduced in September when Wilson's six year old daughter, Palmer was diagnosed with stage three Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma. Palmer continues to receive chemotherapy after a stint of radiation during the 2018-19 basketball season. The change to full-time administration will allow Wilson to have greater flexibility as she continues to care for Palmer without the vigorous coaching and recruiting schedule which basketball requires.  Wilson will miss the rewarding opportunity to coach student-athletes, but also understands she will be able to not just support one team, but all student-athletes in the expanding new role.

A nation-wide search process will begin promptly to identify the next head coach of the women's basketball program. All applications must be processed through UW-Platteville Human Resources. To apply, click here.