McKendree University Athletics

Melissa Ringhausen currently serves as the associate director of athletics at McKendree University and is a part of the Bearcats’ athletic administrative team. Ringhausen brings two decades of experience as an administrator, teacher and coach to her role.
 
Since March 2015, Ringhausen has worked in a full-time role as the associate director of athletics for McKendree. In this area, she is responsible for serving as the sport administrator for men’s and women’s water polo, men’s and women’ swimming and diving, men’s and women’s ice hockey, bass fishing, softball, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s cross country, and men’s and women’s fencing. Ringhausen also reviews policies and procedures within the department, monitors the academic progress of nearly 900 student-athletes and oversees the scheduling of athletic facilities. In addition, Ringhausen handles all non-NCAA compliance issues and drug testing.  
 
Ringhausen has also been the Bearcats’ representative in monitoring the construction and progress of the McKendree Metro Rec Plex, a multi-use athletic facility scheduled to open in December 2016. The Bearcats’ water polo, swimming and diving, and ice hockey programs will call the facility home when it is opened. Ringhausen has been instrumental in many facets of the Rec Plex, working with developers and facility managers in ordering equipment, developing practice and game schedules, and other logistical concerns.
 
Ringhausen began her administrative career at McKendree in July 2010 when she was named as the assistant director of athletics and senior woman administrator. She was part of the administrative team that helped guide the department and the University through the three-year transition process from NAIA to full NCAA Division II membership that concluded in July 2013. Ringhausen later served as the interim director of athletics at McKendree from March to July 2012. In July 2013, she was promoted to associate director of athletics. She remained in a dual role until she retired from her duties as the Bearcats’ head women’s basketball coach in March 2015 and moved into the associate AD role on a full-time basis.
 
Ringhausen joined the McKendree family in the summer of 1997 as the head women’s basketball coach. She enjoyed a highly-successful 18-year run at the helm of the Bearcats’ program. Ringhausen’s teams were a model of consistency both on the court and in the classroom.
 
Over her 18 seasons, Ringhausen guided McKendree to 316 victories, and is the program’s all-time leader in wins. She coached the Bearcats to 11 20-win seasons, including a school-record 26 victories during the 2004-05 campaign. Under Ringhausen’s leadership, McKendree reached the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship nine times in a 14-year span as Ringhausen also led the Bearcats to national rankings on several occasions. During her tenure as head coach at McKendree, Ringhausen was an eight-time Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA)-NAIA Coach of the Year honoree, as well as a two-time recipient of the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Coach of the Year award.
 
In the classroom, McKendree was recognized among the NAIA’s top 25 academic teams on six different occasions by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) under Ringhausen’s watch. That included a No. 2 ranking in 2001-02. McKendree also boasted a 100 percent graduation rate among those who completed their four years within the Bearcats’ program.
 
During her coaching career at McKendree, Ringhausen coached 176 Academic All-Conference performers and 44 NAIA Scholar-Athlete honorees. On the court, she coached 24 first-team All-Conference players, two NAIA All-Americans, four AMC Freshman of the Year recipients and one AMC Player of the Year honoree.
 
An accomplished student-athlete in her own right, Ringhausen enjoyed a stellar playing career for the women’s basketball program at Ottawa University. During her four years as a team member, the Lady Braves won 66 games. She is a member of the team’s 1,000-Point Club, having scored 1,076 points during per playing days. Ringhausen was a two-time All-Conference selection, earning first-team accolades as a senior in 1993-94. Her accomplishments led to Ringhausen’s induction into the Ottawa University Hall of Fame in October 2013. Ringhausen graduated Magna Cum Laude from Ottawa in 1994, and went on to earn her master’s degree from the University of Kansas in 1996.
 
Ringhausen is married to Lance Ringhausen, who has served as the head athletic trainer at McKendree since 1996. The couple has one daughter, Lindy. The Ringhausens reside in Shiloh, Illinois.