Valenzuela Selected to 54th Class of NCAA Women Coaches Academy

5/14/2025 10:00:00 AM

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Illinois Wesleyan University flag football head coach Melissa Valenzuela has been selected to the 54th class of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy set to take place May 18-21 in Denver, Colo. The academy, a partnership between WeCOACH and the NCAA, offers a multi-day transformational experience focused on leadership development and personal growth for women coaches across all sports and collegiate levels.

The NCAA Women Coaches Academy will have over 100 women coaches present, with 85 coaches participating in the NCAA WCA 54th Class and 18 advancing through the NCAA Academy 2.0 program. Participants represent 24 different sports, including several NCAA emerging sports, and come from a diverse range of institutions, including NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, NAIA, 3C2A, NJCAA, and NWAC.

Throughout the 53 previous classes, more than 2,300 coaches have graduated from the NCAA WCA. The program centers on leadership development, providing women coaches with the skills, confidence, and community to elevate their effectiveness both personally and professionally. Academy 2.0, an advanced program exclusively for WCA alumnae, offers a deeper dive into leadership and professional growth in a highly interactive, small-group setting.

The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin is among 15 conferences and sports organizations sponsoring this year's WeCOACH Academies. The CCIW will be represented by Valenzuela and Sloane Baumgartner, head women's lacrosse coach at Elmhurst University.

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% of women head coaches of color. Only 5% of women coach men's teams. At the youth level, the data is hard to estimate, approximately less than 20% 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. For more information visit MOVE the NUMBERS .

Print Friendly Version