Eye on Athletics | Spring 2024 | Miami Magazine | University of Miami

‘The Honor of a Lifetime’

Katie Meier, one of the most storied, revered, and successful coaches in ’Canes history, announced her retirement from coaching in late March.

“For 30 years I’ve been a coach, and that’s a title I will always cherish,” said Meier, addressing a crowd of former players, staff members, colleagues, Hurricanes fans, and supporters in the Watsco Center for her retirement conference. “It’s been the honor of a lifetime, from UNC Asheville, to Tulane, to Charlotte, and to my beloved, beloved Miami. It’s been my privilege to serve.”

Meier will continue working with the Hurricanes athletic department, as a University ambassador, a mentor to staff and students, and a special advisor to Dan Radakovich, M.B.A. ’82, vice president and director of athletics.

“Katie Meier made people passionate about Miami women’s basketball,” says Radakovich. “She made kids want to come and play for her. She made coaches want to come and learn from her. She made fans want to come and cheer for her. She created a culture in our community and a camaraderie that has become a hallmark of this program and will continue for years to come.”

During her 19 years as head coach at Miami, Meier became the school’s all-time winningest basketball coach—men’s or women’s—with 362 career victories. She led the Hurricanes to 11 20-win seasons and 10 NCAA Tournament appearances. During her tenure, the program achieved a stellar 100-percent graduation rate among players who stayed in Coral Gables for their full four years.

In 2023 Meier led the Hurricanes through a magical March run that culminated with the program’s first trip to the NCAA Elite Eight.

Amy Audibert, B.S.Ed. ’07, M.S.Ed. ’09, a former player, attended Meier’s introductory press conference in 2005 and was present for the retirement conference as well.

“She was one of the first women I met, at a younger age for me, where you’re just intrigued by her strength and her power and everything else,” says Audibert. “It wasn’t just even basketball but having conversations with her and feeling all her energy. She owns her presence, and she’s made a difference in so many people’s lives.”

Tricia Cullop, who spent the past 16 seasons as head women’s basketball coach at the University of Toledo, replaces Meier to become the eighth women’s basketball coach in Miami history.

With Toledo, Cullop’s team compiled a record of 353-169. The six-time Mid-American Conference coach of the year led the Rockets to five MAC regular season championships and 11 postseason berths, including two trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Leading by Example

For Sara Byrne, B.B.A. ’24, one of the most decorated golfers in program history, a leap of faith in coming to Miami has paid off.

Byrne, who took up the sport of golf after watching her father, Derek, play it in their native Ireland, began climbing up the junior ranks and representing her country at tournaments throughout Europe. Upon seeing the success of Irish golfers Leona Maguire and Olivia Mehaffey, who starred at Duke and Arizona State, respectively, she began embracing the idea of playing collegiately in the United States.

Byrne came to Miami on a recruiting visit in 2018 and knew she belonged in Coral Gables, but the COVID-19 pandemic made her move here in 2020 even more challenging. Still, four years later, she recognizes how much that decision to come to Miami helped her development.

“I was kind of thrown in the deep end a little bit, and honestly that is what made me mature and get this much out of my final year,” Byrne says. “It helped me to just know how much I would need to work, how much I would really need to practice, and that helped give me the season that I had last year.”

Byrne finished her junior season with 17 rounds of par-or-better golf and advanced to the NCAA Championships. Also last year, she won the AIG Irish Women’s Close, represented Ireland at the World Amateur Team Championship, was named the Irish Women’s Amateur of the Year for the second time, and won the Hurricane Invitational while tying a program record.

Byrne’s senior year continued the momentum. In February she became the first Hurricane named ACC Golfer of the Month twice in a season. Her 19-under-par score of 197 at the 54-hole Hurricane Invitational in October made program history and is tied for the third-lowest individual 54-hole score in NCAA women’s golf history. After posting her eighth top-10 finish of the season, Byrne was named the Best Female Student-Athlete at Miami’s annual Hurricane Honors awards ceremony and earned a spot on the All-ACC women’s golf team.

Breaking program records is not the only legacy Byrne leaves upon graduating. As the lone senior on Miami’s roster, she always tried to set an example for her younger teammates, five of whom, like her, are Europeans playing far from home.

“I feel like I can see myself in the girls that are here now. That was me before I went on to change the way I play the game,” Byrne says, referencing her dedicated work with head coach Janice Olivencia to take her game to the next level. “It was a learning experience for me, too, so it’s been important to lead by example and keep reminding them that where they are now is where I was once. If they’re willing to make that change and listen to coaches and to be open-minded to work hard and be motivated, so many good things can happen.”

Setting a Higher Goal for Women’s Soccer

It may seem that Ken Masuhr has his head in the clouds, but that’s only because the Hurricanes’ new head soccer coach is truly living his dream come true.

As a kid growing up on the Jersey Shore, Masuhr loved soccer. He went on to play at Rutgers University and Richard Stockton College with the intent to stay with the game as long as possible, maybe as a coach. Masuhr got that opportunity first at the University of Pennsylvania and then at Vanderbilt University.

During his nine years on the Vanderbilt staff, the Commodores earned five NCAA Tournament berths, won the SEC regular championship in 2018, an SEC East Division title in 2019, and an SEC Tournament championship in 2020.

Then the U came calling.

“For a kid from the beach on the Jersey Shore, branching out and doing something that’s unknown is exciting,” says Masuhr. “When the job came open, it was one of the schools that I was really excited about because of the potential here.”

To manifest that potential, Masuhr and the Hurricanes spent weeks over the winter offseason preparing for their spring season, which kicked off in late March with a five-game slate against South Florida foes in advance of the fall schedule.

Understandably, the first-year coach is eager to see how his team responds to the challenges.

“This time is huge. Normally, in the spring, you focus on individual development a lot more than team development. But in our unique situation, anytime you have a shock of change, you have to kind of break things down to the very foundations and start from there,” says Masuhr. “We have the unique challenge of building and helping these young ladies get to their own individual goals while also trying to put in team playing styles.”

During his time at Vanderbilt, Masuhr shined as a defensive specialist and a talented recruiter, skills he looks to use to help the Hurricanes become a consistent force in the ACC, one of the nation’s top women’s soccer conferences.

“You see the history of what Miami has been athletically across the board and everyone wonders, ‘Why can’t women’s soccer do the same thing?’ Hopefully, here, we’re going to put ourselves on a pathway to get where the University, the fans, and the administration believe this place can be for women’s soccer,” says Masuhr.