Doug Wright Signs Contract Extension Through June 2028
9/19/2024 2:42:00 PM | General, Beach Volleyball
Guided UNF to 2024 ASUN Championship and NCAA Tournament Win
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Fresh off a 2024 ASUN Championship title and first-ever victory in the NCAA Championship, North Florida beach volleyball head coach Doug Wright has signed a contract extension through June of 2028 as announced by Director of Athletics Nick Morrow.Â
Wright took over as head coach Nov. 5, 2021 after serving in a volunteer and interim head coach role since 2018. UNF has gone 74-37 in three seasons with Wright at the helm, helping guide UNF to tie a program record with 25 wins last season while being named ASUN Coach of the Year in 2023.Â
"Coach Doug has done a tremendous job leading our beach volleyball program," North Florida Director of Athletics Nick Morrow said. "The team is excelling academically and athletically, while also being great representatives of the University of North Florida. I appreciate Doug's approach to holistically developing every student-athlete while creating a positive environment. I anticipate many more ASUN Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances under his leadership."
"I am so grateful to Director of Athletics Nick Morrow for his belief in me and his vision for the program," head coach Doug Wright said. "Nick and the administration's support of beach volleyball has played an integral part in our success. I am blessed to have the opportunity to continue to grow this program at this great university. Much like our program, I think the University of North Florida is a school on the rise and I'm thankful to be a part of it. My current and past student-athletes have and continue to chase greatness in the sand and classroom and I couldn't be more thankful for them; they reset expectations and have redefined standards. My staff has been incredible and I am so appreciative of their efforts. Their work ethic and passion for UNF beach volleyball is contagious and is what makes our program great. Looking forward to continuing to impact lives through this great sport."
UNF's run to the 2024 ASUN Championship was particularly unique as UNF didn't drop a single court en route to the conference title. The Ospreys earned a Nov. 16 ranking in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Volleyball poll April 30, 2024, its highest in program history.Â
The Ospreys have excelled in the classroom in Wright's three years as head coach, tallying a 3.79, 3.73 and 3.72 team grade point average respectively over each of the last three seasons. The Ospreys have produced the Atlantic Sun Scholar-Athlete of the Year in each of the last two years in Iris Fletcher and Chantel McMillan.Â
Prior to taking over the reins in 2021, Wright was a key part of the beach volleyball program and staff, serving with Kristen Wright as the Ospreys won the 2021 Atlantic Championship. Together they helped bring The Cooper Beach Volleyball Complex to North Florida's campus, opening in February of 2020. North Florida would host the 2023 Atlantic Sun Beach Volleyball Championship for the first time in 2023, advancing to the conference semifinals.Â
More Highlights
Has produced:
Wright took over as head coach Nov. 5, 2021 after serving in a volunteer and interim head coach role since 2018. UNF has gone 74-37 in three seasons with Wright at the helm, helping guide UNF to tie a program record with 25 wins last season while being named ASUN Coach of the Year in 2023.Â
"Coach Doug has done a tremendous job leading our beach volleyball program," North Florida Director of Athletics Nick Morrow said. "The team is excelling academically and athletically, while also being great representatives of the University of North Florida. I appreciate Doug's approach to holistically developing every student-athlete while creating a positive environment. I anticipate many more ASUN Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances under his leadership."
"I am so grateful to Director of Athletics Nick Morrow for his belief in me and his vision for the program," head coach Doug Wright said. "Nick and the administration's support of beach volleyball has played an integral part in our success. I am blessed to have the opportunity to continue to grow this program at this great university. Much like our program, I think the University of North Florida is a school on the rise and I'm thankful to be a part of it. My current and past student-athletes have and continue to chase greatness in the sand and classroom and I couldn't be more thankful for them; they reset expectations and have redefined standards. My staff has been incredible and I am so appreciative of their efforts. Their work ethic and passion for UNF beach volleyball is contagious and is what makes our program great. Looking forward to continuing to impact lives through this great sport."
UNF's run to the 2024 ASUN Championship was particularly unique as UNF didn't drop a single court en route to the conference title. The Ospreys earned a Nov. 16 ranking in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Volleyball poll April 30, 2024, its highest in program history.Â
The Ospreys have excelled in the classroom in Wright's three years as head coach, tallying a 3.79, 3.73 and 3.72 team grade point average respectively over each of the last three seasons. The Ospreys have produced the Atlantic Sun Scholar-Athlete of the Year in each of the last two years in Iris Fletcher and Chantel McMillan.Â
Prior to taking over the reins in 2021, Wright was a key part of the beach volleyball program and staff, serving with Kristen Wright as the Ospreys won the 2021 Atlantic Championship. Together they helped bring The Cooper Beach Volleyball Complex to North Florida's campus, opening in February of 2020. North Florida would host the 2023 Atlantic Sun Beach Volleyball Championship for the first time in 2023, advancing to the conference semifinals.Â
More Highlights
- Recorded the program's first-ever sweep in the National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championships against No. 17 ChattanoogaÂ
- Made a first-ever appearance in the National Collegiate Beach Volleyball ChampionshipsÂ
- Became the first team in program and conference history to sweep the entirety of the ASUN Championship Tournament without giving up a single match point
- Iris Fletcher and Katie Camp tallied the second-largest winning percentage in program history after going 17-3 on the season and picking up Pair of the Tournament honors after winning all of UNF's game-deciding match points at the 2024 ASUN Championship.
- Tied the program-record for wins with 25 in the 2024 season
- Reached the highest mark in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Volleyball polls at number 16, April 30, 2024
- 2023 ASUN Coach of the Year
- Set a program record for ASUN Postseason honors in a season with four pairs making the All-Conference team in 2023
- Ranked at number 19 in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Volleyball Poll, April 4, 2023
- Saw two AVCA Top Flight honors in the same season for the first time in program history
- Madison Espy became the first-ever ASUN Freshman of the Year in 2023 after going or 27 wins
- UNF set the single season home wins record with 15 in 2023
- Swept a ranked team for the first time, going for a 5-0 victory against No. 19 Pepperdine
- Went for a program-record 25 wins in the 2022 season
Has produced:
- 4 ASUN Pairs of the Week
- 3 ASUN All-Tournament picks
- ASUN Pair of the Tournament (Iris Fletcher and Katie Camp)Â
- 2 ASUN Scholar-Athletes of the Year (Chantel McMillan, Iris Fletcher)
- ASUN Freshman of the Year (Madison Espy)
- 10 All-ASUN Pairs
- 3 All-ASUN Freshman picks
- 2 ASUN All-Academic Picks
- 7 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honorees
- 3 AVCA Top Flight Pairs
Players Mentioned
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
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