Melissa Hartman named new head volleyball coach
CEDARVILLE, Ohio (2-20-2006) - Cedarville University athletic director Pete Reese has announced that Melissa Hartman is the new head volleyball coach of the Lady Jackets.
Hartman becomes just the fifth head coach in the 43-year history of the program. She takes over for Teresa Clark, who resigned from coaching after winning a school-record 322 matches during her 10-year stay at the helm. Clark will remain at the school in her role as an assistant professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science.
"We are very pleased that Melissa has accepted the volleyball coaching position," said Reese. "She is a quality person who understands and supports our mission and objectives for athletics at Cedarville. I am confident that she will work hard to continue the strong volleyball heritage that has been established here."
This is the first head coaching job for Hartman. However, she served as an assistant coach for the Lady Jackets the past two seasons under Clark when CU had a combined 89-16 record, won back-to-back American Mideast Conference South Division and NAIA Region IX titles, copped the 2005 NCCAA national championship banner, and made the school's only two trips to the NAIA National Tournament.
"I am excited about the opportunity," said Hartman, who was a volleyball, basketball and tennis standout at Cedarville from 1992-96 and is already in the school's Athletic Hall of Fame. "While there will be some transition, having been here for the past two years as an assistant coach has helped me to get a feel for the program and the players that we have.
"At the college level, this is probably the only head volleyball coaching position that I would ever consider because I can strongly support the attitudes and values that the entire institution seeks to promote."
Nine players are available to return to the program for the 2006 season including two NAIA All-Americans. While pursuing more championships will continue to be a goal, it's not the key reason that Hartman is eager to assume the head coaching position at her alma mater.
"Cedarville volleyball has been very successful in recent years and we expect to compete for the AMC, NAIA Region IX, and NCCAA national titles. However, I'm primarily attracted to having the opportunity to build into the lives of these young women as they develop their relationship with the Lord. My own coaches had an impact in my life and I want to do the same."
Hartman is a 1996 graduate of Cedarville with a degree in biology and she earned her M.D. from the Indiana School of Medicine in 2000. Prior to returning to Cedarville, she spent two years at Parkview Hospital in her hometown of Fort Wayne, IN where she served with Professional Emergency Physicians. Dr. Hartman is single and resides in Cedarville.
