*Additional information courtesy WeCOACH and Shippensburg Athletic Communications
 
 
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Shippensburg University’s Dr. Jen Clements, an assistant women’s soccer coach for the Raiders, has earned a scholarship to join the 55th class of the WeCOACH/NCAA Women Coaches Academy (WCA), set to take place November 16-18, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Clements recently completed her fifth season as assistant women's soccer coach with the Raiders. She previously served as the team's faculty athletic mentor from 2018-20. The 2025-26 academic year is Clements' 21st as a professor at Shippensburg University. She joined the Shippensburg University Social Work department in 2005 after many years of practice as a clinical social worker in Baltimore, Maryland. She is licensed as a Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of Pennsylvania and is also a Level 1 Certified Trauma Specialist (CTS).
 
Hosted in collaboration with the NCAA, this impactful Academy offers a multi-day transformational experience focused on leadership development and personal growth for women coaches from all sports and collegiate levels, including both two-year and four-year institutions. Since its inception, more than 2,400 coaches have graduated from the NCAA WCA. WCA Class #55 features 78 women coaches representing 18 different sports, and 679 total years of coaching experience. Participants come from a diverse collection of institutions across NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, as well as the NAIA and NJCAA.
 
"The NCAA is proud to continue its partnership with WeCOACH as we welcome the 55th class of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy to our National Office in Indianapolis," said DeeDee Merritt Guster, NCAA Managing Director of Leadership Development. "We are especially excited to help host this year’s class in our home city, where our mission to educate and empower student-athletes, coaches, and athletics administrators comes to life every day. This Academy continues to deliver transformative learning experiences that strengthen leadership and support the advancement and retention of women coaches in collegiate athletics. WeCOACH remains an invaluable partner in this work - and through collaborations like this, we are able to broaden our reach and deepen our impact across the coaching community."
 
A highlight of this year’s Academy will be the presentation of the 2024-25 WeCOACH Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Jostens, to Tara VanDerveer for her lasting impact on the coaching profession. Attendees will have the opportunity to gain insights and inspiration through a keynote conversation with Coach VanDerveer. The Academy will also feature a powerhouse panel of distinguished women—Raquel Atawo (WCA #52), Sharon Clark (WCA #4), Lin Dunn, Deanna Gumpf (WCA #25), Britt Harvey (WCA #42/A2.0 #2), Carol “Hutch” Hutchins, Lori Kerans (WCA #33), Muffet McGraw, Shonda Stanton (WCA #36), and moderated by DeeDee Merritt Guster, Managing Director of NCAA Leadership Development.
 
The panel titled Coaches Unfiltered: The Ask Anything Panel,” will allow WCA participants to engage authentically with these trailblazers to share experiences, insights, and advice.
 
“The Academy experience is nothing short of transformational,” said Vanessa Fuchs, CEO of WeCOACH. “Bringing this program to the NCAA National Office further elevates the impact — immersing women coaches in an environment committed to advancing leadership and strengthening the future of college sports. Our participants leave feeling renewed and equipped with tools, strategies, and a powerful sisterhood of support that extends far beyond the Academy. Data continues to show that our graduates remain in the coaching profession at rates well above the national average — and that retention is exactly the kind of change we are dedicated to scaling alongside the NCAA. We’re also incredibly proud to expand access by awarding more than $38,000 in scholarship funding for Indianapolis participants, thanks to the generosity of our donors and partners.”
 
The PSAC is one of WeCOACH’s many Academy Partners, whose support makes the organization’s programs possible, along with: BAND, BSN SPORTS, Gatorade, Hudl, Marines, Simple Modern, Alex Morgan Foundation, Athlete Assessments, Bakline, Becky Ahlgren Bedics Consulting, The Coaches’ Coach (Betsy Butterick), Equitable Advisors (Latrice Smith), Jostens, LoveAthlete (Nevin Caple), Natasha Watley Foundation, The Sports Bra Project, This One Media, and the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. Several conferences and sport associations also stepped up to support our NCAA Women Coaches Academy as sponsors: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC), Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC), Liberty League, Mid-American Conference (MAC), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA), New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), Pac-12 Conference, and the Sunshine State Conference (SSC).
 
ABOUT THE NCAA
The NCAA is a diverse association of more than 1,100 member colleges and universities that prioritize academics, well-being and fairness to create greater opportunities for more than half a million student-athletes each year. The NCAA provides a pathway to higher education and beyond for student-athletes pursuing academic goals and competing in NCAA sports. More than 54,000 student-athletes experience the pinnacle of intercollegiate athletics by competing in NCAA championships each year. Visit http://www.ncaa.org and www.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, over 50 years later, the data indicates that number has decreased to 41% across all three NCAA Divisions, with only 7% women head coaches of color. Only 6% of coaches of men’s teams are women. At the youth level, the data are difficult to estimate, but approximately fewer than 26% 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.