Hammersmith to Retire
July 23, 2010 02:41 PM | General
July 23, 2010
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| Veronica Hammersmith |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University volleyball coach Veronica Hammersmith has announced her retirement effective June 30, 2011. She will not coach the Mountaineer volleyball team this season.
Hammersmith was named volleyball coach at West Virginia in 1975, taking over a one-year program, and in 35 seasons compiled a 580-574 (.503) overall record.
“It has been an honor to be a part of the athletic department and the volleyball program at West Virginia University,” Hammersmith says. “I am confident the team will do well this year and in years to come.”
Hammersmith became the second coach in WVU history to reach the 500-win plateau when the Mountaineers beat Providence, 3-0, on September 28, 2003, joining the late WVU Sports Hall of Fame baseball coach Dale Ramsburg, who amassed 540 wins from 1968-94.
Hammersmith retires from WVU third in the school’s record books for most wins behind WVU men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins (670-241) and gymnastics coach Linda Burdette-Good (631-253-4).
In her 35-year career with the Mountaineers, Hammersmith compiled 17 winning seasons, 10 years with 20-or-more wins and two 30-plus win campaigns.
Hammersmith compiled a lengthy list of accomplishments as a leader in the athletic and academic realms during her 35-year tenure as WVU’s volleyball coach.
In 1991, she led the Mountaineers to a 26-11 record and a postseason appearance in the volleyball NIT, as she was named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year.
In 1997, she guided WVU to its first-ever trip to the BIG EAST tournament, and was named the league’s coach of the year. In 1998, Hammersmith led her squad to its highest finish in the BIG EAST, a tie for fourth, and its second straight BIG EAST tournament appearance.
Under Hammersmith, 40 Mountaineers earned academic all-conference recognition since 1986, nine earned District II academic honors and one Mountaineer was named a third-team Academic All-American. She also had 21 players garner all-conference status since 1984 in the Atlantic 10 and BIG EAST.
A native of Kansas City, Kan., Hammersmith joined the Mountaineer athletic department in 1975 after coaching at Kansas, Benedictine (Kan.) and Bethany (Kan.).
Hammersmith earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Kansas and a doctorate in education from WVU in 1985.
In addition to her volleyball duties, Hammersmith served as the Mountaineer softball mentor for seven seasons.
“I want to thank Veronica for her many years of service to West Virginia University. For 35 years she has been loyal and dedicated,” Director of Athletics Oliver Luck says. “She has been an advocate for the sport of volleyball through the years, and we appreciate her efforts. With volleyball and softball, she coached with class and always had a great amount of pride in her program. We wish her all the best in retirement.”
A national search for a new head women’s volleyball coach at WVU will begin immediately. Hammersmith will be paid the full amount of her current salary per the terms of her employment agreement, which ends on June 30, 2011.
