TALLAHASSEE, FL -- Four coaches from the North Coast Athletic Conference will take part in prestigious national leadership development opportunities through WeCOACH and the NCAA later this month in Denver, Colorado. All four coaches representing the conference are from Oberlin College: Head Women's Basketball Coach Stephany Dunmyer, Assistant Women's Basketball Coach Abigail Yunker, Football Chief of Staff/Assistant Football Coach Roseanna Smith and Head Field Hockey Coach Jess West.
Dunmyer and Yunker were selected to participate in the 2026 NCAA Women Coaches Academy Class #56, a premier leadership program hosted by WeCOACH in partnership with the NCAA. The multi-day academy is designed to provide transformational leadership training, professional development and networking opportunities for women coaches from across all collegiate levels and sports.
Smith and West were chosen for the NCAA Academy 2.0 Class #9, an advanced leadership experience reserved exclusively for Women Coaches Academy alumnae. The program emphasizes deeper leadership growth and immersive professional development through an interactive environment.
This year’s academies will feature 122 participants representing 20 different sports from NCAA Divisions I, II and III, along with NAIA, NJCAA and other collegiate institutions. Since its inception, more than 2,500 coaches have graduated from the WeCOACH academies, which focus on equipping women coaches with the skills, confidence and support systems needed to thrive personally and professionally.
The 2026 NCAA Women Coaches Academy and NCAA Academy 2.0 will take place May 17-20 in Denver.
About the NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association provides a world-class athletics and academic experience that fosters lifelong well-being for more than 520,000 student-athletes annually. The NCAA stages 92 championships across three divisions, and its 1,100 member schools provide nearly $4 billion in athletics scholarships every year. Visit ncaa.org and ncaa.com for more details about the Association and the corporate partnerships that support the NCAA and its student-athletes.
About WeCOACH
Founded in 2011, WeCOACH is a one-of-a-kind 501(c)(3) 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, over 90% of women’s collegiate sports teams were coached by women. Today, more than 50 years later, the data indicates that this number has decreased to 41% across all three NCAA Divisions, with only 7% of head coaches being women of color. Only 5% of women coach men's teams. At the youth level, the data is difficult to estimate, but approximately fewer than 20% of teams are coached by women. WeCOACH launched MOVE the NUMBERS in 2022 to help change the landscape for women coaches and the student-athletes they lead. If she can see her, she can be her. For more information visit MOVE the NUMBERS.