BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Former Carthage College athlete and current Biola University assistant coach Elyssa Hawkins is among over 100 women coaches to take part in the upcoming 54th class of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy (WCA) and the 8th class of NCAA Academy 2.0, set to take place May 18-21, 2025, in Denver, Colorado, and hosted by WeCoach.
Hosted in collaboration with the NCAA by WeCoach – a one-of-a-kind nonprofit membership organization dedicated to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches in all sports and levels through year-round professional growth & leadership development programs – these impactful Academies offer multi-day transformational experiences focused on leadership development and personal growth for women coaches from all sports and collegiate levels, including both two-year and four-year institutions.
This year, over 100 women coaches will gather in Denver, with 85 coaches participating in the NCAA WCA and 18 advancing through the NCAA Academy 2.0 program. These women represent 24 different sports, including several NCAA emerging sports, and come from a diverse collection of institutions across NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, as well as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A), National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and NWAC.
“The NCAA is proud to continue its partnership with WeCOACH to host the 2025 NCAA Women Coaches Academy and NCAA Academy 2.0,” said DeeDee Merritt, NCAA Managing Director of Leadership Development. “The NCAA remains committed to educating and empowering student-athletes, coaches, and athletics administrators through transformative experiences that foster effective leadership, promote inclusive excellence, and strengthen the college sports landscape. These academies align seamlessly with our mission and have consistently delivered meaningful outcomes in the support, advancement, and retention of women coaches in collegiate athletics. WeCOACH continues to be an invaluable partner in providing development and community for women coaches. Through collaborations like this, we are able to expand our reach and deepen our impact.”
“The Academy experience is nothing short of transformational,” said Vanessa Fuchs, CEO of WeCOACH. “Our participants leave feeling renewed and equipped with tools, strategies, and a powerful sisterhood of support. Data shows our graduates remain in the coaching profession at rates well above the national average—and that’s the kind of impact we aim to scale. Thanks to our generous donors, we’re proud to have awarded more than $39,000 in scholarship funding for Denver participants to expand access and support participation.”
Hawkins is one of two water polo coaches among the over 100 coaches selected for the program as she joins Occidental College head coach Lindsey Garcia.
A former assistant coach at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, Hawkins arrived at Biola after helping the Sagehens rate as the best Division III team in the nation.
While on staff at Pomona-Pitzer, the Sagehens reached new heights in every season, reaching a three-year consecutive run as Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Champions and Division III National champions during the women’s season. Behind the scenes, Hawkins would spearhead the women’s recruiting efforts, helping to double the roster following a COVID-19 impacted season, and have multiple players be named Player of the Year (Offense and Defense), All-Conference and All-America selections. As part of the men’s coaching staff, The Sagehens claimed two SCIAC Championships titles and a Division III National Championship in 2021. As a member of both men’s and women’s water polo coaching staff, she was a recipient of the SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year Award four times.
Additionally, Hawkins has been involved with the United States Olympic Development Program, working with the Girls Coastal Zone Cadet Team. In 2024, Hawkins would guide the Coastal Zone Blue team to a fifth place finish and assisted the Red Team to a ninth place finish out of 18 teams. The Blue team would reach the top six after pulling the upset victory over the Coastal A Team. Three of the players she worked with closely were subsequently named to the National Team Selection Camp later that same summer. Hawkins returned to the Coastal Zone Staff in a head coaching capacity for the Cadet Girls team this 2024-25 cycle.
Prior to arriving in California, Hawkins coached at Fenwick High School and Windy City Water Polo in Oak Park, Ill., from 2018-2020. She led youth teams to State Championship in 12U and 10U and 14U Runner up finish, established first ever Illinois 10U league. She also spent time coaching at Lyons Water Polo Club in Western Springs, Ill., from 2014-2017. She coached 15+ athletes who are currently playing in NCAA water polo and coached goalkeeper Kent Emden, who represented the USA Junior National Team in 2019 at World Championships.
Hawkins played as a defender for Carthage during her collegiate career and helped the Lady Reds to a Third Place at the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Championship tournaments. She earned Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-Academic honors twice, CWPA Scholar-Athlete recognition all four years and was a Carthage Distinguished Senior Athlete Finalist in 2018.
She was also a member of the USA Water Polo Olympic Development program from 2009-2013 and graduated from Carthage in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media with emphasis in Sports Science and Public Relations.
Since its inception, more than 2,300 coaches have graduated from the NCAA WCA. The program centers on holistic leadership development, providing women coaches with the skills, confidence, and community to elevate their effectiveness both personally and professionally. Academy 2.0, an advanced program exclusively for WCA alumnae, offers a deeper dive into leadership and professional growth in a highly interactive, small-group setting.
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