Of the challenges a new head coach can face in taking the reins of a program, one of the toughest, undoubtedly, is succeeding a legend. And Juli Fulks was most certainly a legend in Lexington, Kentucky.
In 10 years at Transylvania, she took the Pioneers to a place of unprecedented success, after doing the same in 10 seasons on the West Coast at Lewis & Clark. She went 400-143 in 20 seasons at the D-III level and 91-2 over her final three years at Transy. That, of course, included the perfect 33-0 season in 2022-23, one that culminated with the program’s first national title.
But that chapter has closed in her coaching career, as another prepares to be written. This morning in Huntington, West Virginia, Fulks was introduced at a press conference as the new head coach at Division I Marshall University, with much excitement from the administration and fan base. She’s taking on a new challenge now, with a program that has significant goals coming off its NCAA Tournament appearance this past March.
“Our job is to take these young women and help them grow, not only as student-athletes, which matters, but helps them grow as people, as leaders, as future professionals,” Fulks said at Tuesday’s press conference. “My job is to make sure they feel seen every single day. That we know what they care about. What matters to them not only on the court, but off [the court].”
“And our other job is to chase championships. That piece matters. The only way you win championships is by doing all the work that it takes. You can’t earn those without the time. And you learn lessons about yourself that don’t come any other way.”
At the same time in Lexington, Hannah Varel is in her first week as Transylvania’s new head coach, aiming to both maintain and raise the standard that Fulks established inside the Clive M. Beck Center.
Varel’s appointment to the helm of the powerhouse program came yesterday, just three days after Fulks was announced as Marshall’s head coach. And in many ways, it was an unsurprising hire, probably because it was the perfect—and most logical—one all along.
The associate head coach this past season, Varel coached under Fulks since 2020. She was the 2024 WBCA Assistant Coach of the Year, and last year, was named a WBCA Thirty under 30 honoree.
It seemed that with Varel stepping into the associate head coach role this past season, and gaining continued experience within the program, this was a move that would eventually happen. Whether it was anticipated to be this soon is unclear. But one thing is certain. To have someone who learned directly from Fulks’ leadership and who played an instrumental role in the formation of the national title team is invaluable to the sustaining of the success at Transy. From the standards within the program, to the recruiting aspect, to the ability to gameplan and win so consistently on the national stage, Varel has been part of it all over the last four years. Not to mention she knows the HCAC well, having spent all six of her years as a college coach in the league.
“I am delighted to have Coach Hannah Varel as our new head coach. In her 4 seasons with us, she has proven to be a key contributor to the success of our team.” said Vice President of Athletics, Dr. Holly Sheilley, in Monday’s press release. “Her commitment to the student-athletes, both on and off the court, made this an easy decision. I know she is more than ready to take over our program and I am excited for her.”
I truly don’t think Transylvania will miss a beat. While it will be a new voice leading the program, Varel’s is a familiar one for the returning players. The coaching styles may differ slightly, but the ability to lead and get the most out of the team (especially defensively) isn’t going to change. Recruiting-wise, Varel knows exactly how to recruit top talent to Lexington, which is in many cases one of the biggest adjustment for new head coaches. The familiarity and fact that she has been such an integral part of the winning tradition the last several years makes me excited for what is ahead for the Pioneers. Consistency is key in building a culture of success and Transylvania will have plenty of that with its coaching staff heading into the future.
“I want to thank President Lewis, Dr. Sheilley and the entire athletics administration for the tremendous opportunity to serve as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Transylvania University.” Varel said. “I’m extremely excited and humbled to continue mentoring our student-athletes and building championship culture. Our program will continue to epitomize success on the court, in the classroom, and throughout the Lexington community.”
As far as other coaching news, here are the D-III head coaching positions that are either currently open or programs that haven’t yet announced their next head coach. This does include institutions that currently have an interim head coach listed.
Carnegie Mellon
Trinity (CT)
RIT
Saint Mary’s (MN)
Juniata
William Smith
Mount Holyoke
Pratt
Russell Sage
St. Olaf
Keuka
Lycoming
Wheaton (Mass.)
William Peace
On another note, NYU has secured a D1 transfer in Fairfield’s Kate Peek. She played two years at Fairfield as a 5’9 guard from Poughkeepsie, New York, and had opportunities to go elsewhere in Division I after entering the transfer portal before settling on the defending national champs. It is another big recruiting win for NYU head coach Meg Barber, who will lose at least two starters from this past year’s team in Morgan Morrison and Megan Bauman, both of whom were grad transfers. Peek saw her minutes cut at Fairfield this past season, but in her two years at the D-I level, she appeared in 32 games, making six starts as a freshman. Known as an elite long-range shooter coming out of high school, she shot 41.3 percent from beyond the arc in 2022-23. This will be a great addition to NYU’s backcourt heading into 2024-25, as the Violets seek to defend their national title. She can play the 2 or the 3 and should complement the returning core of that team very well.
As a side note, I’m always happy to highlight programs that have secured quality transfers/recruits, but that information is often very difficult to find! So if there is a recent commitment that should be noted, feel free to send an email to rileyzayas@gmail.com. I’m also on X/Twitter at (@ZayasRiley).
I hope everyone has had a great start to the week! I’m working on my Way-Too-Early Preseason Top 30, so look for that soon. I’ve also had the opportunity to talk with Chatham head coach David Saur and Southern Virginia head coach Lynette Schroeder recently, so stay tuned for those Q&A feature stories. I had great conversations with both, and enjoyed learning more about their programs, especially as we start to look ahead to next season.
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